Yes... has anyone asked what a short transgendered and disabled woman could bring to a basketball team?There is no doubt in my mind that if you try to push integration/diversity/affirmative action too hard and too far, it backfires. First and foremost, people must have the experience and competencies to do what they are supposed to do. For example, blindly putting women as firefighters just to achieve gender balance would be dangerous to everyone if the women don't meet the physical standards deemed necessary for the job. However I would have no objection having a woman hired over a man that might achieve higher physical standards if she had something different to offer. In my opinion, using one and only one criteria like grades or physical standards for example to judge who is most worthy of a scholarship/admission is narrow minded.
What bothers me is when you hear someone say the person got the job/placement/scholarship because they are...(put class) and they have the competencies/experience etc... It is extremely demeaning(and bitter) to reduce people's accomplishments to their race/gender/etc...