Earlier this month, a first-time situation occurred in college basketball when 50-year-old Gabrielle Ludwig played in a game for Mission College.

Ludwig’s age is not what made her appearance a first-time occurrence in college basketball ”“ her sex did.

Mission College’s newest team member was born John Ludwig and lived much of her life as a man, but this summer underwent a sex-change operation and became a woman.

Her decision to play college basketball, and her team’s support of her, should be applauded. If a man wants to become a woman or a woman wants to become a man, that is their personal choice. As a society, we should accept those choices and welcome them with open arms. We should be understanding and non-judgmental.

A week before Ludwig took the court for the first time, the school moved her parking space closer to the gym and she was escorted to the practice courts by armed guards because of the threats she received.

Luckily, after she made her debut as the first person to ever play both men’s and women’s college basketball, no one heckled her and those in attendance actually stood and applauded her. That shows a respect and cultural progression of which we should all be proud.

If Ludwig hadn’t undergone an operation to become a woman and was only taking hormone therapy, then yes, we could see where people would have a problem with her playing women’s basketball. After all, she would still be a man, and just because you feel like a woman, that doesn’t make you a woman.

Ludwig, however, took all the necessary steps to make her transition as a woman. She has endured seven years of hormone therapy, lost her male muscle mass, admittedly isn’t as strong as when she was a man and sacrificed much of this to be true to herself.

We don’t feel society would have as much of a problem if the role were reversed, say, if Ludwig was born Gabrielle and wanted to become John, so we shouldn’t have a problem with the situation as it is now.

Some have criticized the decision to allow Ludwig to play because she is 6-foot-6 and weighs 220 pounds. She is not the only woman playing college basketball who is that size, however, and it’s worth noting that those women are not criticized for being too big or for having an unfair advantage.

Ludwig’s life has taken many turns from her days of playing boys basketball and then one year on a men’s college team, to serving in the United States Navy in Operation Desert Storm. She has stayed true to herself. Her daughter, whom she had from her second marriage, commends her, while her teammates accept her.

It shouldn’t be any other way.