Cricket Australia to let TW play on women's teams

[Doyoumind]

I don't really follow cricket and am in the UK but have just seen this on Twitter. The response is very negative so far. I wonder if they will stand strong against the backlash. Probably.

Just when women’s sport is gaining a rise in popularity and it looks like they may be on the path to a more equal footing regarding opportunity and pay with men we are now seeing that women’s sport is being dismantled.

And they wonder why we aren’t opening are arms and accepting male bodies into our spaces- because of this level of male entitlement that’s why. Anyone who is determined to push themselves into the space/sport/job/resource at the detriment of the people those places where created for is morally corrupt.

I went to the women's world cup final in 2017 and it was just this incredible experience of seeing women playing sport, at Lord's, the entire crowd split fairly evenly between England and India supporters. It was such an important experience for so many women and girls. I've been a cricket fan my whole life, but not even 2005 Ashes made me as happy as the WWC final. The way the game has flourished since they started paying women proves that women's sport is viable, enjoyable and a good investment for the game as a whole, especially as the country England beat were India, the biggest cricket market in the world. It felt like such a turning point in women's sporting rights.

Australia has been at the forefront of this! The Women's Big Bash is such a massive success and I really believe the reason the Aussie women are so good is because they get to play so much cricket at such a high level to sell-out crowds.

I saw this news on twitter yesterday and cried. The only difference between women and men is our biology. Sarah Taylor is the best wicket keeper in the world - apart from that she would struggle to field 95mph balls because of her grip strength. The idea of diluting what I feel is one of the few very good women's sports success stories makes me so devastated.

Make a trans league. Please. Don't do this, CA.

The children, teens , their parents and adult athletes who are currently competing at high level can do NOTHING to speak out about these changes, they are gagged by their contracts.

Interesting.

Make a trans league

Fuck that.
Transwomen can compete with men.
Transmen can compete with women so long as they are not taking T.

Transwomen complain about being physically weaker than men, but don't give a shit about women being physically weaker than them. They should take the consequences of their choice, not expect all women to take the consequences of their choice.

Sarah Taylor played grade cricket against men in 2015. She kept and took catches to the opening seamers, but despite being a test match opener, she was listed to bat at 8 but was left in the dressing room whilst no.9 came in.

It strikes me that the best way to protest this decision would be to take the piss out of it, a la Man Friday. Which leads me to: Is there anybody out there who knows 11 boofy blokes prepared to frock up and announce that they are a women's cricket team?

(I'm not even a sports fan, and this really upset me. I was so proud to see elite sports women finally get their chance to shine, and this in effect is going to kill women's sports. )

....and cue the old Aussie joke about the six foot sheila who was a demon fast bowler: Lillian Thomson.

speakupforwomen.nz/testosterone-the-facts

CA clearly don't care for women's cricket. Speak Up for Women's Sport explains the effect of T really well.

CEO of Cricket Australia doubles down, uses emotional blackmail and the bogus 48% stat to justify their pandering to men:

mobile.twitter.com/CricketAus/status/1160041440619220992

The batshittery of this attitude, from someone whose profile describes them as "Safe & Ethical Sport @sportaustralia. Safe, fair & inclusive sport for everyone. Because #everyonematters. Pronouns: She/Her."

Congratulations @CricketAus on taking steps to ensure every Australian can play the great game of cricket and have a sense of belonging within the cricket community

As if men are routinely excluded from cricket teams.

That promo video looks like parody.

Looking at the ratio on that Cricket Australia - I don't think the public is behind them.

Also, since Cricket in Australia is no longer about fair competition between people in the same biological categories, shouldn't ALL the gender identities have their own separate competitions? One for the non-binaries, the agenders, the bi-genders, the circumgender and all the other 70-odd Tumblr genders. After it must be horribly invalidating (not to mention Literal Violence) for a non-binary person to be forced to play on a men's or women's team!

@ Lillian Thompson.

https://twitter.com/fairplaywomen/status/1160503880179998720?s=21

Hope the link above works. Turns out the ECB quietly beat the Aussies to it, with no hormonal requirements. I used to teach girls' cricket. Had members of the Ashes winning England team come and talk to us. They had jobs alongside their team roles, so much tougher challenge than male equivalents. Now women's sport is getting some recognition and edging slowly towards parity with men's, rug pulled out.

Can't tell you how this makes me.

So "female only" means females and males.

And "a transgender woman... should be accepted in the gender in which they present".

What does that last one even mean? A male person in a white cricket sweater and white trousers. Erm, how is anyone supposed to know the gender in which they present exactly? How do you know they have a female gender identity rather than a non-binary gender identity or a male gender identity?

On the link to the policy document in the Twiter link:

For their elite female competitions, which are reviewed on a case by case basis according to the ECB, oh, you're in trouble there fellas. How exactly do you intend to discriminate between one transwoman and another? What is your criteria? They don't actually say. Because they have no criteria.

You'll have no end of Yanivs taking you to court on that one.

And females who identify as non-binary are not allowed to enter the female category. Which looks awfully like discrimination to me.

Blokes can go in the female category but non-binary females can't?

They don't actually say why they are discriminating against women because of their sex, but I guess they'll explain in a court soon.

“In an exclusive interview with Macquarie Sport Radio‘s Cam Reddin, Blackwell urged women and girls who did not feel comfortable playing or changing alongside trans players to play something else.

“They can choose to go to a sport they’re more comfortable with. It’s up to them,” Blackwell told Macquarie Sports Radio.”

“It has also been recommended that cricket clubs introduce gender neutral toilets and changerooms rather than separate facilities for men and women.”

www.sportsradio.com.au/female-cricketers-who-object-to-playing-alongside-transgender-athletes-should-find-another-sport-says-former-australian-captain/?fbclid=IwAR2gwcS1zqSTDGOFD3ueqio_b9oubA3WxAkqKBfyxphL5WVb-Wic12-8yA8

Erm, how is anyone supposed to know the gender in which they present exactly?

Lipstick and a wig, presumably.

WhenIsTheEasyBit

Thanks for that twitter feed, I am going to email -

[email protected]

I feel really angry about this whole situation, so will have to calm down a bit and channel the anger into a coherent response.
There is a great quote on that twitter feed

"Stonewall again. They are the unelected government of everything"

Blackwell is an utter disgrace, a selfish person who has retired from her sport and will now devote her energy to throwing other women under the bus.

Popchyk thanks for reading more closely than I did. So it is out and out misogyny, not just lack of thought.

Anyold I will be joining you in writing to ECB and will be asking about their impact assessments. They are pouring huge amounts of money into school and community kids' cricket and for what? To turn the clock back as far as girls are concerned.

So sick of this 'if you don't feel comfortable, move' crap. It's those rednck, MAGA t-shirts in woke clothing.

Thanks for posting that radio interview Emma. Although it was infuriating to listen to, could Blackwell possibly come across anymore elitist and smug? I think not.

So much the "I'm alright Jack" attitude. So if you've the skill and talent to play at an elite level we will give some consideration to physicality and biological differences. But if you're just playing grassroots level for fitness and fun? Fuck you. Your safety and privacy doesn't matter.
God I hope netball holds strong.

"Stumped" a BBC World Service prog about cricket was on the other night; I can't remember which day, it was about quarter to three in the morning and I only caught the latter part, so suggest you have a listen.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07kw356
The bits that I remember were that they (Aus cricket) were considering dropping the required testosterone level to 5. The Chief MO, Dr David Hughes did say that although trans women still retained skeletal advantages (I'm paraphrasing) the drop in testosterone meant that they lost strength too. Hmm.

Have drafted a comment for this but don't expect to see it get through...

overland.org.au/2019/08/whos-afraid-of-transgender-cricket/

I overheard a bunch of working class men discussing this last night:
"Did you hear that shite about the England cricket team allowing men dressed as women to play with women?".
"Bloody ridiculous, total bollocks".

Most men (in my experience) think similar to the above.