The story goes that while Phelps was serving time in rehab after being arrested on DUI and excessive (but surprisingly not record-breaking) speeding charges, Taylor decided to do some Facebooking. But instead of  posting cute photos of kittens, Taylor went online for the worst thing of all: over-sharing.

Now like any story relating to a "WAG" the reader is generally prompted to pass judgment. Example: Should Nadia Bartel be allowed to call her fashion blog  The Chronicles of Nadia if she refuses to dress like a giant lion?   But while I'd hoped  the oversharing might have been the issue, instead  it turns out   most people got  hung up on Taylor's Intersex status and what damage this could do to Phelps' sporting career.

The  only  public discussions about transgender people in the sporting community I recall was when South African runner Caster Semenya underwent gender testing after smashing her own world record at the World Athletic Championships in Berlin. Or, when local boxer Susie Q Ramadan took on Thai fighter Usanakorn Kokietgym, who was accused by trainer Barry Michael of punching "harder than most blokes I know". Barry's obviously never come between me and a good Boxing Day bargain.

In the latter case, I saw much debate surrounding Usanakorn's gender unfold on Facebook, where the conversational tone was more along the lines of "it totally looks like a dude" as opposed to, "Hmm, how can we approach transgender issues respectfully?"

I also remember that in each case, there was a bizarre misconception that if these two athletes were cleared to complete, this would lead to a slew of men changing gender in order to  seek an advantage.

Now there are sporting advantages to being male. These relate to muscle mass, lung capacity and an ability to stay focused if there happens to be a rogue Benedict Cumberbatch in the crowd. But there's one solid reason why no bloke would undergo years of medical treatment and endure doctors, therapists and lawyers  to gain a sporting  advantage –   because clearly,  at the end of   all that, you would  still be a female athlete, and where's the benefit there?

Sure, this sneaky male-to-female athlete could join the Victorian Women's Football League where they'll take home a salary of $0 annually and get little to no recognition. They could jump into the W-League or the Women's National Basketball League, which thanks to ABC cuts won't be broadcast any more.

Or, if they really want to rake in the coin, they could target tennis where all they'd have to do is beat the likes of Serena Williams. Yes, they might be called a "shemale" from time to time but  Serena gets this slur herself, so everything is even in that department.

The fact is that politics  surrounding sex are not only tricky    if you're part of the LGBTI community, in many ways it's still an issue  if you're merely a girl. In a country where   same-sex marriage is still against the law, where women are grossly outnumbered in Parliament and where  dinosaur parks and school chaplaincy programs flourish while  indigenous programs are cut, it's hard to see our government stepping  up its  efforts to help educate people on why Michael Phelps dating Taylor Lianne Chandler is fine.

As the 2013 case of Broken Hill transgender AFL footballer Kirsti Miller shows there is a long way to go. Miller had initially received  support from her club after a rival player who asked her to "show me your cock", but later felt that support had evaporated when she went public with her concerns.

The recent Four Corners episode The Real Me certainly helped  shine a light on the difficulties faced by transgender individuals, with the brave and articulate young protagonist Isabelle and her parents giving an uplifting account of how compassion and acceptance can help create fulfilling lives. Despite this, even Isabelle's switched-on and involved  dad indicated that his first inkling that his "son" was not like other boys was when he showed no interest in sport. Rightly or wrongly sport is ingrained in many minds as a marker of manhood.

Blokey sport  has an ability to make headlines for all the wrong reasons,  but through heartbreaking and inspiring examples of strength, unity and courage, it can also   positively change perceptions worldwide. For example, how good was that moment at this year's grand final when Luke Hodge planted a big old kiss on Buddy Franklin and everyone realised how awesome it is to be friends?

By continuing efforts to create inclusive environments, right down to primary school events,   sport could  inspire and inform. And one day, when the sport gender wars have been won and the Essendon drug scandal is finally sorted, we'll have time to focus more on all that oversharing on Facebook.