Rugby - RFU seeking feedback on its transgender policy

[Biscuitsanddoombar]

Will go on its website on Wednesday to get public feedback

www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/mar/30/trans-women-in-english-rugby-could-face-height-and-weight-safety-checks

Safety checks??
Fuck that shit. Just don't have male people on female teams.

GNCQ yup. It really is that simple. I don't understand why there is so much hand wringing about stopping male bodied men slam into female bodied women and hurting them.

Height and weight checks?

So for real men, in the men's game, the taller and heavier you are the better (week not quite, but you know what I mean).
Same goes for the real women in the women's game.
Trans women can only play if they are under a certain weight and height - that's hardly fair is it. It's almost as if they'd be better playing with men. 🤔

@GNCQ

Safety checks?? Fuck that shit. Just don't have male people on female teams.

Exactly.

I don't understand why there is so much hand wringing about stopping male bodied people slam into female bodied people and hurting them.

Because it limits the male bodied people's validation of their gender identity which is unacceptably distressing to them. Far worse obviously than female people getting hurt or killed. Which is mere peanuts by comparison. And therein you see the wholly sex based thinking and sexism while simultaneously pretending that there is no sex and therefore no problem exists.

I feel like I'm living in a ruddy Carry On film at this point.

God, as a fairly hard-core Welsh rugby supporter (local, regional and National fan), I wince at the hits that our male and female players give and take during a game.

It's sheer madness to allow a biological male to play with female rugby players. Madness.

In an era where rugby players are being vocal about the risks of contact sport (head injuries, early dementia etc), it's utter madness that the biological lines are being blurrred for the sake of 'inclusion'.

They can follow World Rugby's excellent protocol.

And they can support wider roll out of touch rugby, a brilliant sport & safe to play mixed sex.

it's utter madness that the biological lines are being blurrred for the sake of 'inclusion'.

But it's kind for female people to willingly take the risks of injury and death so that the included person can be happy and play with them. Being killed probably levels your privilege or something. It used to be called original sin, the punishing of women for the crime of being born women.

As well as the danger of injury to women from playing rugby with men, there's the fact that a mediocre male rugby player can take a woman's place on a team due to his biological advantages.
What's the point of a woman training for hours and hours every week, when a stronger, faster man can outperform her without putting in all the training?
I have paid to watch men and womens matches in the past. I would not watch a match where men were playing against women. I've played women's rugby in the past and I would not play full contact rugby against men - just too dangerous.

In an era where rugby players are being vocal about the risks of contact sport (head injuries, early dementia etc), it's utter madness that the biological lines are being blurrred for the sake of 'inclusion'

It is unconscionable. I have zero respect for the RFU. I hope the women who will inevitably be injured take them to the cleaners. If the game is sued out of existence it will be entirely of the RFU’s own doing. The tragedy will be the women’s lives ruined in the process. I cannot convey the depth of my contempt for the RFU in words. Seriously.

@BlackAlys

God, as a fairly hard-core Welsh rugby supporter (local, regional and National fan), I wince at the hits that our male and female players give and take during a game.

It's sheer madness to allow a biological male to play with female rugby players. Madness.

In an era where rugby players are being vocal about the risks of contact sport (head injuries, early dementia etc), it's utter madness that the biological lines are being blurrred for the sake of 'inclusion'.

Absolutely this. All the concern we are rightly starting to see about head injuries and the risk of early dementia in rugby and football - why is there not an immediate connection to the risk of males in women's sports? I just don't get it.

I shall definitely be giving them some feedback on their daft proposals

Not daft. Dangerous.

So a coach would assess any transwoman over height and weight measures? No pressure there to "be kind" when making a decision.

And transmen competing in mens rugby to sign a waiver to say they accept the risk to themselves. Will women be given waivers to sign accepting any increased risk arising from competing against a transwoman? Will they even be told if they are facing an opponent who has the advantage of having undergone male puberty?

Thanks for flagging this OP, I’ve been waiting for this to come since October - see thread linked in my OP here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4188331-Time-to-see-if-the-RFU-are-any-further-forward

May be some useful resources on these threads. See also the British Cycling thread.

Its a fucking part time job filling in all these consultations

Innit just Leaf!

I can’t believe Women are having to waste so much time pointing out that no men cannot be women and no of course men shouldn’t play on women’s teams

there's the fact that a mediocre male rugby player can take a woman's place on a team due to his biological advantages

Excellent point, but it’s not can, it’s will.

And will trans men be included onto men's teams? Again, inclusion only working one way...

I hope the referees will put a stop to this lunacy, by refusing to oversee matches where men are playing against women.
The ref is liable for the safety of the players, and I bet they won’t fancy being sued by all the injured women.

Thank you OP and I will respond to the consultation.

Weight checks sound like a terrible idea anyway, that's the sort of policy that leads to eating disorders among athletes trying to keep themselves on the team. Not in the best interests of transwomen.

Clearly playing with birth sex is the appropriate choice.

thanks OP, I will look out for that. 14 st 2 is a pretty hefty bloke at 5'7".

I honestly can't imagine what they are thinking. How did they come up with this weight/height threshold and how are they going to 'assess' safety of anyone over this limit?

They are obviously not saying that anyone over the height/weight limit cannot play, they just have to pass whatever assessment is deemed suitable.

I know many sports insurers appear to be captured as well but are they that willing to put their money where their mouth is? Given the known risks established by World Rugby?

Seeing as how much is being done and the risks now known from rugby regarding concussion etc this seems ludicrous to even consider

It's crazy, my dd plays and I'm really worried she could be hurt