Australia Sets New Guidelines to Make Sports “Inclusive” for “Transgender & Gender Diverse” Athletes

[EweSurname]

The rules cover spectators as well

New guidelines encourage sporting organizations – including coaches, umpires, staff, players, spectators and volunteers – to permit transgender and non-binary athletes to compete against members of the opposite sex, welcome transgender and non-binary athletes into bathroom and shower facilities designated for the opposite sex, place disposal bins for used female hygiene products in male change rooms, convert some or all facilities to “unisex / gender neutral” to accommodate non-binary athletes and provide “non-gendered uniforms” that fit the physique of both sexes.

It is a breach of the guidelines for players to refuse to compete against or participate on a team with transgender and non-binary athletes, fail to affirm their gender with preferred pronouns, say they are in the wrong bathroom or change room, or ask about their bodies.

womenarehuman.com/australia-sets-new-guidelines-to-make-sports-inclusive-for-transgender-gender-diverse-athletes/

And of course, Hannah mouncey was a consultant to the process of devising these guidelines

It is a breach of the guidelines for players to refuse to compete against or participate on a team with transgender and non-binary athletes,

Eventually women will begin the difficult process of organising mass walkouts. Sadly I think that’s the only way this will be resolved.

How do these men wield so much power? I’ve been frustrated for a long time at the way women are passed over in favour of men, but it has reached a ludicrous level now. I just want it to stop.

Disgusting but not surprising, it is Australia, one of the most sexist cultures I’ve ever encountered.

Agree Jessica. I've been here a while now, and it is getting better, but we are still so far behind eg UK on sex equality.

I was thinking that the glaring obvious thing is that women have no where else to go

They can’t play sport in men’s sport or go in their changing rooms so this only affects women

Shoving us out of sport

Has anyone seen any coverage of this in the media? I'm wondering what will happen next as a result of this. Surely the Australian women who this affects (and many whom it doesn't affect) will take a stance?

Whatever next...the Olympics?

How do these men wield so much power?

And how do they simultaneously manage to convince everyone that they are the most oppressed group of people in the world?

I haven’t read the full report from Sport Australia but the Discrimination Act 1984 in Australia clearly states that the act doesn’t not prevent the provision of single sex spaces or services.

Well at least they are using the term 'sex' correctly in the guidelines. (Groped for a hint of a silver lining in this dark cloud)

gropes

NotBad so orgs can choose whether to provide same sex spaces/services and follow the Discrimination Act 1984, or they can choose to follow these guidelines that harm women?
Shouldn't they be following the law?

My early reading of it is this document is a guideline not a proscription for a start, so women’s organisations can tell them to go fuck themselves, and second, they fail to highlight the bit I posted above, just the part about how it’s illegal to discriminate against gender identity (which is the term in the Act, not gender reassignment). There seems to be the same misrepresentation as with the Equality Act in the UK, but I need to read the whole thing first.

So there is this:

4.3 When is discrimination allowed?
Discrimination on the basis of sex or gender identity in sport will be permitted under the Act if:

the different treatment amounts to a ‘special measure’, or
an exemption applies.
(a) Special measures

Special measures are positive actions used to promote equality for disadvantaged groups. They are often referred to as ‘positive discrimination’ or ‘affirmative action’, and address the unequal position of two groups of people (for example, women and men) by implementing a practice which favours the disadvantaged group.

The Act allows for a special measure to be taken for the purpose of achieving substantive equality between women and men, and people of different gender identities.32

While the Act does not define ‘substantive equality’, the Federal Court has held that ‘substantive equality’ means equality in substance, rather than ‘formal’ equality.33 Equality in substance recognises that, for disadvantaged groups, formal equality before the law—or treating everyone the same—is not always sufficient to eliminate the effects of historical discrimination, and may actually entrench existing discrimination. Positive actions that confer an extra benefit on members of a disadvantaged group may be required to attain ‘real’ or substantive equality.

Depending on the circumstances, taking steps to encourage the participation of transgender and gender diverse people in sport may constitute a special measure under the Act. If a sporting organisation wants to adopt a ‘special measure’, it will need to determine that the action it is taking is for the purpose of achieving substantive equality between women and men, or people of different gender identities. Examples of potential special measures are set out below.

There’s more, but there’s too much to C and P.

Have a look at the section “what does the law say” and scroll down. I think it does give clubs ways out.

origin.sportaus.gov.au/integrity_in_sport/transgender_and_gender_diverse_people_in_sport#A_4_what_does_the_law_say

I would also note that every “case example” so far has been about trans women/girls

Who will validate the poor dears when all the women have abandoned sports, and only trans women are left competing against each other?

And women not allowed to refuse to take part? How's that going to work?

What are the women (and men) of Australia doing to protest this ludicrous crap?

What would we be doing in the UK? Marching on Downing Street?

I can’t imagine this playing well with the mums and dads of middle Australia, I really can’t.

I imagine women will have to slide away and start their fight for women’s sport all over again, which is absolute bullshit.

Sportswomen are unlikely to share the wokeness of their non-sporting friends, when they will, quite literally, be crashing into the reality of the difference between male and female physiology.

The rare, exceptional trans man will get a guensey in male sport, but female sport will be full of men winning, because of their greater speed, power and size. Women will get hurt.

Men like Hannah Mouncey, are narcissists, who care nothing for women or equality, only the satisfaction of their own wants. They cheats and opportunists.

How did we end up in a place where some amorphous feeling trounces the observable, measurable reality of material reality?

If you remember early Superman ...

... of biology.

Bottom line, clearly laid out: the primary job of a female athlete is to indulge the ego of any males who wish to be involved in her events.

It's that sexist. It's that male supremacist.

Yes to the march. I'm there. I'm sick of this shit. #notgettingbackinthebox #iatethefuckingbox

and frankly 'involved in her events' really boils down to a polite term for cosplay. (Anyone else seeing ads at the moment for Drag SOS and wanting to throw things at the tv?)

How can uniforms fit both sexes? Do they think athletes magically change shape because they say so? Well, yes they do think such crap. They need to read Caroline Criado-Perez's latest book about the gender (sic) data gap.

Let’s hope there’s not a male takeover of beach volleyball ...

So self-exclusion is explicitly forbidden from the outset. Clever. Whoever put this together at least knows that women and girls tend to walk away from hostile environments or from people who makes us feel uncomfortable or scared. And has determined that we must be forced to stay.

Unapologetically showing their colours here, these men claiming womanhood. But of course they cannot be validated by being in women's spaces when women leave.

Well it's put it square on the line now hasn't it for women.

Submit and obey, or band together and stand up to this crap.

to permit transgender and non-binary athletes to compete against members of the opposite sex,

Erm... isn't that a bit self contradictory? Or did they mean to say you must let men compete against women so blatantly?

They say opposite sex and surely that is a non existent/transphobic thing?

This bit is very relevant:

(iii) Permanent exemption—competitive sporting activity

The Act contains a permanent exemption in relation to ‘competitive sporting activity’.44 This is commonly referred to as the ‘single-sex competition’ exemption, although it does not operate to make all single-sex or single-gender sporting competitions lawful.

The exemption allows for discrimination on the grounds of sex or gender identity only in ‘any competitive sporting activity in which the strength, stamina or physique of competitors is relevant’.45

The words ‘strength’, ‘stamina’ and ‘physique’, and the term ‘competitive sporting activity’, are not defined in the Act. Their meanings have not been conclusively settled by the Federal Court of Australia.

However, in considering an equivalent exemption in the Victorian legislation, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has stated that the exemption will operate if, when both sexes competed against each other, the competition would be uneven because of the disparity between the relative strength, stamina and physique of male and female competitors.46 This interpretation was approved by the Federal Court of Australia47 and the reasoning is likely to extend to people of different gender identities.

The objective of the exemption is to restrict competitive sporting activity to people who can ‘effectively compete’48 with each other. This is intended to recognise that ‘biological differences between men and women are relevant to competitive sporting activities’.49 It can be understood as ensuring a ‘level playing field’.

If a sporting organisation decides to rely on the ‘competitive sporting activity’ exemption to exclude a person from a particular competition, it will need to satisfy itself that ‘strength’, ‘stamina’ or ‘physique’ are relevant and how the organisation assesses this. Given the diversity of sports and the role of different skills and physical characteristics (strength, stamina, physique) in each sport, the assessment should be specific to the sport in question.

So it’s possible for women’s sport to protect their competition permanently.

“It will need to satisfy itself” of the bloody obvious. That won’t take long, will it?