Sport and the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill

[AchatAVendre]

This bill is currently being debated by the Scottish Parliament. On Tuesday, Holyrood's human rights and civil justice committee heard two senior male executives of sports organisations funded or part-funded by the Scottish Government argue that the bill would not significantly impact on sport.

Mara Yamauichi, former GB marathon team runner and diplomat with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has highlighted the concerns on this and committee to hear from her on her views that this may be highly damaging to women's sport in Scotland and in the UK as a whole as it may deny biological women team places and chances to progress. So far there do not seem to be any plans to listen to female athletes such as Mara or from female Scottish athletes past or present.

You can find the article here. Its in the Daily Mail but its actually quite an informative piece and I suspect that it has been the only major news outlet receptive to publishing Mara's concerns so far.

I think this illustrates, yet again, the problems in Scotland due to rushed devolution and the lack of a bicameral parliament, so we have single interest issues being made into legislation without proper scrutiny. The committee system is open to influence and corruption and its all too easy for MSPs to invite their "favourite" speakers to tell them what they want to hear...

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10854969/Gender-recognition-reform-devastating-womens-sport-says-former-Olympic-athlete.html

We are going back to the dark ages where women didn't have a voice and males decided for us.

What happened to "nothing about us without us"

I know it is difficult when sponsorships and scholarships are at stake, but every female competitor in an event where a man turns up should turn their backs and refuse to compete.
It’s the only way to stop this, otherwise we face the end of all women’s sports. There will just be men’s sports for young men, and transwomen sports for older men who want to continue their career by cheating.

Watching two men explaining to a Parliamentary committee why trans inclusion in the female category would cause no problems, with hardly any mention of the female athletes for whom the category was created was really disturbing.
All these people pretending that there is no difference between a male athlete, even with reduced testosterone, and a female athlete is mind blowing.

I agree @Babdoc
Women should refuse to compete as it is not an even playing field

Its also quite odd because the trend almost everywhere else is against it and moving towards protecting the biological women category.

Interestingly, the most recent athletics Diamond League event in the US at the weekend featured both a 1500m and a 2 mile race, and the controversial athlete Francine Niyonsaba ran in the latter, winning by about 15 seconds. The 1500m (which Niyonsaba is banned from competing in due to too high testosterone) contained all of the main middle distance women contenders but the 2 mile race had a weak field. Niyonsaba did however come quite close to breaking the women's 2 mile world record despite having a rather solitary run.

Last week at the Birmingham Diamond League, Niyonsaba was prevented from running in the 1500m by visa issues as her visa could not be cleared in time for her to run (this is not all that unusual for athletes competing in these events).

archive.ph/pGVDO#selection-270.0-270.1

Article from New York Times, which is surprisingly impartial , regarding the inclusion of biologically male athletes in the female category.

I was in a trendy West End of Glasgow restaurant this weekend, very hipster-style. (I didn't fit in). Their loos have been renamed from gents and ladies to "cubicles and urinals" and "cubicles". So in essence, it's a men's loo, and a mixed loo.

Problem is, same as with the sports thing, the Scottish government think this is marvellous progress.

Whilst I would refuse to compete too, it's never an "even playing field", even in a single sex sporting activity.

For example - people with long legs are better at the high jump than people with short legs. So even in a single sex sport, there's an in built advantage from having certain physical or biological characteristics.

The "Michael Phelps has long arms" argument is quite frustrating. Michael Phelps or any other athlete does not have TWO AND A HALF TIMES to TWELVE TIMES longer arms or legs than any other athlete, which is what the current rules on testosterone limits permit. And these current rules still permit athletes born with internal testes from competing against women in middle distance events.

The current rules for the Olympics limit women's testosterone levels to 5 nanomoles per liter of blood. That is still far above levels in most women, including elite female athletes, whose levels range from 0.12 to 1.79 nanomoles per liter. Meanwhile, the normal male range after puberty is much higher, from 7.7 to 29.4 nanomoles.

Do you know what medication is required for athletes with differences of sex development to take to lower their testosterone levels to that of just over double what any female athlete has produced naturally, in order to permit them to compete under the current rules?

HRT. Yes, the tiny amount of female hormone in HRT is sufficient to compete at present. The athletes involved suffered a severe decline in performance when they did take it, meaning they were no longer world class in the womens's field, which is why none of the high profile ones have agreed to continue taking it and have moved to different distances not yet covered by the rules.

I think we should celebrate the amazing biologically female athletes who are producing amazing performances on hard training and talent and the little bit of physical advantage they are born with.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sex-matters-in-sport-tickets-342717877397

Emma Hilton and Ross Tucker have webinair tonight.

They, the Scottish Gov,t are just mocking women's sports and everything that has been achieved.
It's only since 1991 that every sport in the Olympics has had to have a women's category and now that feels like an irrelevance, according to Ms Sturgeon anyhow. What a champion for women she is.