To think it’s completely and utterly unacceptable for men to compete in women’s sports?

[SwainedFreed]

How the hell is this being allowed! I’ve seen the volume of medals they are earning - medals which should be earned by women. Men and women are not physically comparable and this is just a line which once again shouldn’t be crossed.

😬 every time you try to do a dig it make me laugh. You don’t actually know me and vice versa, happily so I might add

But no talking about men in any female sport is not ‘rabid right wing’

Why would it be?

Oh yes , just declare that you are a woman , enter the race, easy win , collect prize money , job done .

And in darts women throw from a closer position- a man pretending to be a woman would expect this same advantage- which is only there to address the physical disadvantage for women - they do not have as strong a throw - so the man would win under the same conditions

@EasternStandard but you're not actually talking about males in female sport, because you don't actually care about the issue and you're ignorant of the changes that have actually been made in the UK and internationally over the last three years. You're just using it as a useful hook to attack the new government.

Honestly I think the fact that men have been openly competing in women's sports - and a significant proportion of people are just fine with it - is conclusive proof of the astonishingly low regard society has for women in general.

I didn’t dig. You are right wing - you’ve supported Tories on election threads. They are a right wing party.
You seem to be having a comprehension issue though. I didn’t say talking about men in female sport was right wing (rabid or otherwise). I said it was wrong and I’m left wing. What I said was trying to bring the new Labour government into it and blame them for the situation in America made it look as though it was more about being right wing than women’s rights. Clear now?

Most of the Tories are about as right wing as the US Democrats, to be fair.

I haven’t mentioned the new gov it was a pp. I still don’t agree with the mischaracterisation from pp to that poster

I do care about the issues more than I can say. This is really not true on any level

I know you said you’ve worked towards changes here in U.K. and I’m grateful for that. I applaud any woman helping make changes on this. I have zero desire to denigrate you or anyone else seeing changes happen

Yes, there are plenty of things the government could do. But I think the Equality Act needs updating for reasons other than sport (such as prisons and rape support services) so it would be the quickest way to treat the entire issue in one go.

As far as proof is concerned, in France you need a medical certificate from a GP to compete in even amateur sporting events. Even people who are running a charity 10k need to get one. If only we didn't have a failing NHS where it's next to impossible to get a GP appointment even when you urgently need one, and a batshit system which allows people to change their sex on their NHS records, that would be an easy way of stopping this at amateur level. The certificate could say, "fit to compete, biological sex is M/F".

My vote is open at any election and has been each time. I’ll see what happens before I decide for next one. You don’t actually know my voting patterns, tg. Not that you should be that interested

And no not really, if people want to talk about men in any sports US or not they can go for it, it doesn’t make them ‘rabid right wing’ or do anything to the ‘GC movement’

Bollocks. Democrats are fairly right wing by British standards (right of centre anyway), but most of the remaining Tories are much closer to the Republicans. If you can’t see that, then no wonder you are struggling to see my point.

Again, I did t say talking about men I. Women’s sports (or GC at all) was right wing. I said using it to attack a brand new government over something they can’t control makes people LOOK right wing.

The singing coach who was on some BBC show with her husband with the bright red hair (her with the red hair, not her husband, I forget her name) was just on Jeremy Vine stating it was ok for trans women to compete in women's sports as their testosterone would be low as a result of being trans. Kept just referring back to testosterone levels, wilfully ignoring the points of all the other advantages males possess.

Along with JKR should just go away for being a big transphobe, it should be fair for trans people and those 'assigned female at birth' and it's nothing to do with changing rooms when the other panelist tried to introduce this point.

My eyes were popping out of my head until she said her children were trans so clearly biased, but are people so willing to deny reality this much? I could weep.

Yes, I'm very familiar with the medical statement for entering amateur events in France although a lot of cycling events that attract an international clientele are dropping the requirement now - probably because everyone just fakes them. Many GPs in the UK actually refuse to do fit to compete certificates in any case - I've always just faked them for events in France as I don't have any other way to get one. I think it would be a big barrier to amateur participation, particularly at the youth level. I think we can carry on with the system that we currently use for DOB and sex - assume good intent and investigate in the case of a challenge.

The reality is that the males in female competition in the remaining sports that allow it in the UK (football, hockey, cricket, tennis) are not cheating - they are competing with the full approval of their sports governing bodies. If those governing bodies change the rules, as many other bodies have, I don't think we will see men trying to compete as women - it's one thing competing openly as a transwoman, it's a very different thing to try and pass as an actual woman.

They don't care they are entitled misogynists that's why.

It’s not good enough that bans are only being implemented at elite level, and not at grass roots or junior level. Where are the elite women going to come from in a few years’ time if girls who excel at are sport are giving up, or failing to qualify for a higher level, because they are being beaten or injured by boys?

What makes you think that bans are only being implemented at an elite level and not at grass roots?

I disagree with this take re ‘looking right wing’ or whatever, it’s not an issue. Women should speak up without this as an attack.

But here in the U.K. why do you think there isn’t still an issue?

The Women's Rights Network said 'most sports have not got the balance right' - and pointed to research showing that more than 50 sports, including football, cricket and tennis, allow trans athletes to compete and use women's changing rooms.

The campaign group said it was 'scandalous' that biological males were still allowed to compete in areas like grassroots football, adding: 'Sports are failing to protect the rights of women and girls.

Why is allowing this ‘sensible’ as claimed by some?

The reality is that the males in female competition in the remaining sports that allow it in the UK (football, hockey, cricket, tennis) are not cheating - they are competing with the full approval of their sports governing bodies.

They know exactly what they're doing and the impact it's having on women's opportunities. They ARE cheating - it's just that the cheating is condoned by the authorities.

I'm so over people trying to silence this issue by calling us 'right wing'.

If standing up for women's rights makes me right wing then fine. All the shame is on the left for failing women in this way.

Maybe I should have said ‘if’ - I was responding to a couple of previous posters who said this.

Right so they're not cheating according to the rules of the sport. And once they are cheating (as they would be in cycling, rugby, athletics, swimming etc) they stop doing it, because they know they simply won't get away with it - males cannot pass as females. The single biggest change that can be made is for the sports governing body to ban males in female competition at all levels, and once they do this we see, as we have in cycling, rugby etc, it stops the problem immediately.

Yeah - I do feel so bad for my daughter - this is her reality now - men pretending to me women, competing against her.

Yes so I disagree with pp and Nandy that what we have atm is sensible and broadly right

Whilst I appreciate anyone who has moved this on in the UK there still needs to be more done for women and girls at all levels

https://www.womensrights.network/post/protect-women-and-girls-in-grassroots-sport

is useful on this