Transgender students may not have to reveal birth sex to play sports

[Bambambini]

"Transgender students should not have to declare their birth gender when applying to university sports clubs, the National Union of Students (NUS) is expected to rule.

It adds that trans and intersex students should not be asked to disclose their legal gender or personal medical information to participate in university sport, including details regarding hormone replacement therapy.

The motion suggests that the NUS follows the lead of Durham University’s new policy on inclusivity, whereby trans and intersex students are allowed to compete and train in whichever team “best fits their gender identity”."

Whole Telegraph article here www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/04/24/transgender-students-should-not-have-declare-birth-gender-applying/

www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/04/24/transgender-students-should-not-have-declare-birth-gender-applying/

ffs. You wonder why trans kids hurt themselves. This is so boring. another bloody transphobic thread

ffs. You wonder why trans kids hurt themselves

I don't wonder at all. I know it's because they don't have appropriate mental health.

It isn't because of opinions and facts about biology on MN.

YAnBU at all. There is now no point whatsoever in having women's sports.

Ofgs someone just give all trans kids a pony and then they can compete to their hearts' content. They can also make the ponies shiny and glittery and brush their hair so that's an added bonus!

Yep. No point in women's sports anymore. But we are being transphobic and moaning about nothing of course.

I know it's because they don't have appropriate mental health.

What is appropriate mental health? Do you mean they suffer from mental illness?

There's no need for them to declare it.

It'll be blindingly obvious, as the winner of the women's competition is so much taller, broader, faster and stronger than all the other competitors

Do you mean they suffer from mental illness?

Generally speaking transgender people tend to have a variety of comorbid mental health issues, yes.

It's a difficult one because of the level of sport.

I liked what Caitlyn Jenner said about Olympic sports, that the Olympic committee has done research into it & there is now a process where people have to go through tests.

Its not ALL about Trans people no matter how much they might stomp and strop . FFS

This shit grinds my gears .

When did we start splitting sports by gender anyway I thought we split it because of biological differences between sexes, not social/cultural differences between genders??

If there was a suitable level of testing, and we retained men's and women's teams with appropriately-set levels for hormones and whatever, then I would have no issue with that. The facts of biology would win through, if that were done. The trouble is that the resources for doing that would only be available at the highest level. So a few years down the line, no more talented girls would be coming through . Making this is an unworkable heap of shite.

Re. a PP's suggestion of mental heath issues - yes, I would say that, generally speaking, a population at risk of suicide would indeed need psychological help, especially with the huge incidence of comorbid MH conditions.

I don't wonder at all. I know it's because they don't have appropriate mental health.

I mean appropriate mental health help.

It is neither birth sex or birth gender. It is their sex. It was their sex before birth and still is their sex.

Ah thanks Fish, I get you now.

I find this so depressing, if we carry o down this path women's sport as we know it will be entirely eradicated. All the girls and young women training now who were set to be the future champions might as well just give up if they're going to be forced to complete against people with male bodies.

For those questioning Fish, I've read her posts in the past, she knows far far more than most people do about trans youth, mental health and lack of mental health support.

Well, are you suggesting a quick pull-your-pants-down check? Without that, who is to question the sex of the person and what happens when you suspect they're lying? Hormone tests for students seems a bit OTT but, just to fit in with MN, fuck the trans agenda! Wankers.

It does seem funny that this immediately becomes about protecting women's 'spaces' yet this is for trans people of both sexes.

Nobody is proposing pulling anybody's pants down , any more than students do already, I'm sure.

The reason it's more relevant to protecting women's spaces is that anyone who has undergone puberty as a man is overwhelmingly more likely to be stronger and faster than a woman. And anyone who underwent puberty as a woman, but is now taking testosterone, is also likely to be stronger than a woman. So female athletes lose both ways round. Does that really need to be spelled out?

This isn't going to affect men though. There are no sports I can think of where a transman competing against men gives the transman an unfair advantage. Even the sports where being small and nimble are an advantage (i.e. Gymnastics) have a different set of disciplines for men and women.

YANBU. This will destroy women's sports at university. What would happen in a women's race if Usain Bolt showed up and said that he was transgender and was taking part in the race?

@WindwardCircle

Rhythmic gymnastics.

Yes, I explained my second point badly. Having transmen compete against men instead of women, as many of them want to do, would remove their advantage against female competitors. So the implication of this rule would be its disadvantage to women's sports, and that's why it's about protecting women's spaces.

Apart from rhythmic gymnastics. Perhaps the female wrestlers, boxers and tennis players should all retrain.