Rugby League bans transgender athletes from top events

Totally agree @NecessaryScene most ppl will not bother to read the story. They’ll simply absorb the headline which is completely misleading

Yes, this. It’s a very inflammatory title and article, and focuses on trans being excluded rather than, you know, ensuring the sport is fair.

The reporting in that BBC article is so biased it’s unbelievable.

Is BBC in cahoots with stonewall?

We really do have to stop accepting these headlines. They are inaccurate and inflammatory.

It's like writing "Rugby League bans [religion X] from top events", when what they've done was stop permitting [religion X] men playing in top women's events - they were getting a pass.

I know the "transgender" religion in question makes it very hard for them to phrase it accurately, because the male participants don't want to be called "men" or "male"; and the "transgender" religion IS relevant, and should be mentioned - it's them who have had the exception and are effectively having policy changed now, so saying "Rugby League will no longer let any males play in women's events" is not clear enough. Maybe a "Transwomen will be required to play in men's events" as a subheading?

"It's hard to write an accurate headline cos it upsets people" is not an excuse. Especially when your alternative to telling the truth and upsetting them is telling the a lie that they want to hear and they want propagated so they can claim persecution.

Its not a suprise when you think that the childrens l team management will be organised around child safeguarding rules.
So risk assessment has to account for multiple stages of puberty, various cognitive levels, age, experience and sex.

My 9yo is in Mini rugby (u12s). Only girl. The care they take with her is amazing. There is the option to play down an age group to take into account size/strength for example. Soon she will be able to train with the girls team (she too young to play with them).

She 8snt allowed to share a changing room with the boys which means they have to be creative... luckily we have a large car with privacy glass!

It does surprise me they can have these rules in Minis but permit men to play in older age groups

They see it, they just don't care.

Yes it's interesting- my son Plays in a boys football club that's part of the FA. There have been girls playing though they've left to go to girls clubs now.

There's loads of groups within the club so it could be possible to have mixed teams.

This could be really good for womens sport as more womens clubs will be set up?

I always wonder how the discussions in the male dominated meetings go? What on earth can outweigh the evidenced risks to women from being harmed by much larger men? What is said that makes presumably literate and intelligent people ignore the facts and evidence about risks?
There must be some pretty extreme levels of manipulation? to get this through.

National sporting bodies follow the international rules and guidelines so that they can take part in international competitions, and local clubs generally have to be affiliated to the national body and therefore have to follow the national rules and guidelines in order to be able to compete in national or more local competitions. So you would hope it would trickle down!

There's definitely more analysis of the impact of male puberty too going on.

The light is being shone on facts.

With various people also shining other lights - JKR on detransitioners, Ricky G "HER penis!" Hopefully the insidious gaslighting by stonewall will start to be turned. Trans people deserve to be able to live their lives but they need to be treated honesty (they're being severely let down by medical professionals) and be honest about their bodies.

It's schools I worry most about, I really hope this helps there too.

Unfuckingbelievable!

He can't resist a joke, though, adding: "She's going to be a good, good player for the next few years, as long as we can stop her injuring players in training."

"She folded a girl like a deckchair during a game, which was quite funny, but they're still friends."

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/49298550
Reminding everyone about the Transwoman rugby player admitted to a womens team whose coach fondly described as folding a female player like a deckchair.

No World Rugby is Union.

How anyone thinks there is nothing to see here is baffling.

Why only at the top level though?

I think this is an important question, particularly for rugby. Top tier rugby players have trained for years, have perfect technique and can judge tackles etc to a millimetre. They also know how to respond to a tackle etc to minimise injury. But it is still obvious that it would be criminally irresponsible to allow mixed sex contact games.

Most of the really terrible injuries (spinal/neck damage) occur at lower levels in the game where skills are much less developed. Mixed sex contact rugby needs to be outlawed here - ideally before some poor woman is killed/permanently disabled.

There is already an option for trans women to play in mixed sex tag rugby if they want.

And there is an issue around trans men on testosterone playing in womens matches.

Megan Rapinoe certainly is one of those "no big deal" sheep. Used the same lines as every other TRA on reddit or twitter, "show me where transwomen are dominating women's sport".

Good news. How we ever got to the position of biological Males competing against biological Females in contact sport (in all sports come to that) is just insane. The photographs alone spoke a thousand words.

This is making science NOT bigoted. So it is becoming more acceptable to say, let's look at the evidence to all this.

I think it will trickle down?

I've noticed locally that there are more girls' football teams being set up as girls leave the boy's teams.

Sport will slowly iron out the creases, it gives more credence to a team being set up that's its only "bio women."

My concern is the "puberty" bit but I'm hoping that the info on that is becoming more effective. Cass will be important. We are now seeing more detransitioners who've been in pbs speaking out too.

Hopefully all sporting bodies will feel encouraged to make this decision.

Why don't they just have a trans category?

I think everyone has been waiting for that first step and how it's been received . Also the science seems to have been well communicated now.

Seb Coe is an important voice: "Integrity of woman's sport is really really important here."

Why only at the top level though? Same with swimming.
How does each sport define "top level" or "elite"?

And what about women who play/swim for their local club every Sunday afternoon - do they have to carry on playing/swimming against men? They will miss out on medals too.

Sebastian Coe just spoke on R4 supporting the RL decision, and saying that athletics needs to protect women's sport.

(Paraphrasing slightly there!)