Imagine the crisp air of the Italian Alps, the roar of the crowd at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, and Swedish skier Elis Lundholm carving down the course — “making history” not with a groundbreaking record, but with something far more straightforward and refreshing. Lundholm, a biological female who identifies as male, is set to become the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics. Yet instead of pushing into the men’s category in the name of her so-called gender identity, she’s competing in the women’s freestyle skiing division — right where biology aligns.

The International Olympic Committee’s 2021 Framework on Fairness, Inclusion, and Non-Discrimination opened the door for trans-identifying athletes to participate if their sport’s federation approves. While the IOC has signaled possible future tweaks to better safeguard fairness and safety in women’s categories, those 2021 guidelines still stand. Under them, Lundholm could have sought a spot in the men’s field — but she didn’t. She’s skiing with the women. Whether intentional or not, that choice is one that honors biological reality in the middle of one of the most heated debates in sports.

Depending on who you talk to, the reactions to this may be quite different. From those in favor of trans athletes, you may hear celebration over the very nature of someone who identifies as transgender competing in the Olympics at all. Advocates for protecting women’s sports see a glimmer of progress in the evolving rules and this outcome. My take? Swedish skier Elis Lundholm is proving something simple: following sensible, biology-based rules isn’t some impossible mountain to climb. It’s actually quite easy.

Yes, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) blocked any chance of Lundholm competing in the men’s category with its current policies. So, yes, the women’s division was the only option on the table. But Lundholm had every opportunity to lash out, protest, or turn it into a public battle — and she didn’t. There are no viral meltdown videos, no scorching social media rants calling the rules “insane” and an “attack” on her existence. As of yet, there’s no sign of boycott threats or dramatic statements. Instead, she appeared to accept it, gear up, and focus on what matters most: being able to compete at the highest level.

In an interview with Swedish outlet Aftonbladet, when pressed about the “voices out there” questioning her place in the women’s field as a trans-identifying man, Lundholm kept it relatively low-key. She said she’s “always been treated well” and moved on — brushing aside the controversy to zero in on performance or gender politics.

Make no mistake: I do not support the lie that men can become women or women can become men. Biologically, Lundholm remains a woman, full stop — which is exactly why her place in the women’s category is the only correct one, even if she still identifies as male. After years of fierce battles to keep men out of women’s sports — a fight that’s far from over, by the way — it is refreshing to give credit where it’s genuinely due.

Lundholm may be a great skier, but she’s no superhero. Rather, she just may be one of the very few examples we have of how you don’t have to explode in outrage when reality doesn’t bend to ideology. For too long, many in the trans advocacy space have rejected the two most logical paths forward: 1) a dedicated open/trans category, or 2) competition based strictly on biological sex. It’s really that simple. Yet Lundholm seems to be one of the rare cases of a trans-identifying athlete navigating these terms.

And guess what? She could win medals. She could stand on the podium, hear the Swedish anthem, and claim Olympic glory. And yet, should any of that occur, it would occur with her competing as a woman among other women. No asterisks needed. No unfair edges. Just pure athletic merit in the category that matches biological reality. In fact, her composure could bring a rare moment of sanity to this heated arena.

But much more must be done.

Accountability must extend further, especially to Lundholm herself, who persists in identifying and presenting as male, and to mainstream media outlets already framing her as “he,” the supposed trailblazing “trans man” rewriting history. Headlines will celebrate her as the first transgender Winter Olympian while insisting on male pronouns and language that deliberately obscures biological sex in favor of self-identified gender. This isn’t balanced journalism but the ongoing promotion of the falsehood that sex can be changed — fueling further confusion, division, and the erosion of protected spaces for women and girls.

As Doreen Denny, senior adviser for Concerned Women for America, aptly stated in her commentary on cases like this, it exposes “the fallacy of our current age that falsifies reality for feelings.” If an athlete is competing in the women’s category, she insisted, “reporting should be clear about her sex.” And that clarity, Denny added, “needs to come from the Olympics and sports federation too. They can’t be saying she’s a man.”

She’s right. Clarity in this conversation isn’t bigotry or hate. It’s honesty. It’s truth. It’s necessary. Until the media, athletes, IOC, and sports federations stop prioritizing feelings over facts and consistently acknowledge biological sex in all sports categories, the fight for fair, safe female athletics continues.

Lundholm’s measured, non-confrontational response is a positive step. Hope remains for a sports world where truth prevails, fairness endures, and women compete on an even field. But true progress demands we all stop pretending biology is optional.