First major race to create 3rd category for gender neutrals

[BiologyIsReal]

Can’t link but Daily Telegraph has story on The Great Scottish Run being first major race to create category for gender neutral competitors.

There will be no separate prizes in the non-binary category as the event only gives awards to “elite” male and female athletes.

Scottish Athletics’ guidance says it fully supports race organisers who wish to include a third gender category.

Perhaps someone with online access can do a link?

Yesterday the DT carried a big article on that trans woman who plays for women’s team in Kent with a quarter page pic .

DT deffo gender critical (apart from that David Thomas column in the magazine).

We are making progress in getting the message out.

That's bullshit.

Runners will either be male or female.

And I strongly suspect that TW are classed as female too

This is fine, I support third spaces, but it should be “transgender or non binary” and it should be compulsory to be in this category if you are male but ID as female (and don’t want to be in the male race because reasons). I doubt that is the case here.

Do TW consider themselves gender neutral though?

On a recent race application firm I was given 3 options- male, female and non- binary.
Looking through the results after, I could only see male and females. I assume that this means that there were no non binary runners.
At least it was a separate category rather than "identify as you like".

But it only covers "non binary" people not transgender people.

Trust Scotland, the sanctimonious land of progressiveness and inclusion to come up with this bs (and before I get pelters, I'm Scottish)

Who gets included in the non-binary category - men who run in pink trainers, women with short hair, anyone that doesn't like the sex they were born?

Complete and utter wankpiffle.

You run in the category of the actual biological sex that you are and how you feel about it is irrelevant.

Having said that, if all the ma'ams were made to participate in the non-binary category it would keep them out of the women's race...shame that'll never happen.

Scottish section of the Times has an article about it too:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/great-scottish-run-to-welcome-gender-neutral-competitors-k09plj9fj?shareToken=576671206112d25608153133668124b6

The question is-which category will trans women be eligible to enter in? If they hold a GRC .....

It’s absolutely fine with me, but you know that TW will still demand to be in the female category.

It’s absolutely fine with me, but you know that TW will still demand to be in the female category.

Kinda where I am. OTOH if the female category turns out to be exclusively for biological women I would see this as a good thing.

My hunch is that only a small proportion of folk would tick the third box.

What happens if a TW enters as a woman and wins though? Will they be disqualified and told they should have been in the third category?

Gender neutral?

How do the organisers know?
What if you do a Bunce?
Sex is still a pretty deciding factor in sports ffs

What a crock...

The question is-which category will trans women be eligible to enter in?

I looked into this - race is governed by Scottish Athletics who say they have the same transgender policy as UK athletics.

UK athletics say that for domestic competition TW must have female levels of T or had a gonadectomy.

But in a massive race like this no-one will be checking.

So non-binary category is purely for non binary people, not trans people (unless of course trans and non binary)

Im all for a 3rd category and stopping makes from entering female sports categories.

It's a start.

The next step will be to be unequivocal in asserting that the male and female categories are explicitly by biological sex, not identity.

Both sexes to be free to opt out of being categorised by their sex. Which of course leads to two male races in effect but I don't care.

Drawing lines around the female category is the most important thing for now.

I hope the organisers take the brave stance and brazen this out.

It's a start.

Yup. This is a glimmer of a 'third space', where everyone who is cool with the abolition of sex segregation can put themselves, while the rest of the world get on with their male/female lives.

Can't see how anyone could reasonably object.

How is it a start? (Genuine q, not being snarky)

Non- binary people will race in the non-binary category.

Transwomen will race in the women's category.

It does nothing to protect women's sport, and starts to validate the idea that gender not sex is the important distinction.

It's the creation of a third category, which will be a suitable place for people who, for example. have too much testosterone to fairly compete against women, but don't wish to race males.

Why stop at 3 gender categories? Don’t they say these days that there are as many genders as there are stars in the sky? 🙄

It's a start, if, and only if, as I hope, the male and female categories are asserted as sex based.

I also think it applies social pressure to men who want to race against women. It will become increasingly uncomfortable that they refuse to race against non-binary women despite that category bring created for identity, rather than biological reasons. Increasingly hard to justify why they insist upon only racing against what they would call ciswomen.
The fence sitters will start to observe how BIOLOGICAL women appear to be targeted despite every accommodation being made for fairness with a third category available.

It's a start, if, and only if, as I hope, the male and female categories are asserted as sex based.

They aren't.

Any trans woman over the age of 16 years who has transitioned or is transitioning may compete in her affirmed gender in female or mixed sex domestic competition by providing evidence that her hormone therapy has brought her blood-measured testosterone level within the range of her affirmed gender or that she has had a gonadectomy

www.uka.org.uk/governance/welfare-and-safeguarding/guidance-documents-and-policy/