Help please on responce from letter sent to governing body of my sport re rules on transwomen playing alongside and in opposition

[AvengingAngel]

Hi,

So after playing a friendly football tournament where the other team fielded a trans women and now having first hand experience of it being unfair/dangerous and a clear advantage to the opposition. I've raised the issue of how my sports club of another league team sport I play would manage trans women wishing to play.

I set out a number of concerns which they forwarded to the governing body of the sport. and have had a response. The overall jist of what I received from the governing body of my main sport was tough luck, we want to be inclusive and trans women are fine to play.

I do not want to post the email chain and response publicly, but if anyone would be kind enough to help me respond to their email via PM I would be really grateful.

You have girls playing. What is their safeguarding policy? How are they going to explain to parents that their daughter has been hurt/injured by a man who says he’s a woman?
No such think as gender identity or transgender identity in law. The Equality Act protects those with the characteristic of gender reassignment. These people are transsexual persons. Even with a GRC they can be legally excluded from certain activities and services.
Single sex sports are not transphobic. Self id isn’t law.
Fair play for Women website will give you resources and point you to others.
My 15 year old niece plays women’s football, wants to do it professionally. Am waiting for a man who decides he’s a woman to take her spot. She plays in her club’s first team with women in their 20s. The stupid nonsensical rules that govern all sports clubs now means they would have to accept a bloke. Madness.

If you say the sport OP, I'll look up whether they had anything to say about the unfairness or safety of this in 2004.

Same old story: validation and “inclusion” for male humans trumps safety and fairness for female humans

michelle I think the problem with identifying as a man is that we may not want to lose the rights given to women . At work for example, if I as a man no one would check my salary for any pay adjustments. I also might feel unwilling to go to hospital if I would be placed on a male ward. And I can promise you that no one who currently discriminated against you because you are a woman will change their behaviour at all.
Men gain through trans identification , women lose. Again,

Hi @AvengingAngel.
Email me at [email protected] and I'll see how I can help x

I agree MIdge

It would simply expose the sexism in this for what it is.

"The overall jist of what I received from the governing body of my main sport was tough luck, we want to be inclusive and trans women are fine to play."

That is so incredibly infuriating.

Xenobio
Could you say something to them anonymously on social media about your experience? Give them a heads up that Women aren't happy?

Angel Its really important that we remind ourselves that ensuring the safety of women and girls whilst playing sport is NOT transphobic-it absolutely isn't. We have to be prepared to be accused of it though so we can calmly deny it.
My DD aged 13 played in a mixed football match recently & when I asked the coach afterwards how many more of these farcical matches would she be expected to play in-he quickly said none-it was a bad idea-even he could see the potential danger. We have single sex sports for a bloody good reason.

I dont like this false dichotomy of fairness vs inclusion.

It is fairness to all vs unfairness to women. That's it.

Ask the governing body (or whoever makes these decisions) if you can have a man on your team. They will tell you no.
Then ask then to list the reasons why you cannot have a man on your team - let them do the work.
You will then have a sensible list of reasons why a transwoman should not be included on the team, which they will find hard to dispute as they gave it to you.

Agree re false dichotomy
It's important to remember that inclusion of people with (or formerly in possession of) penises means exclusion of some women. Whether that's women who would have made the team but for unfair competition or women who put their safety first.

He also said that most of the ppl running the sport just want a quiet life & would just take the advice of stonewall because it’s easier :/

Tis jumped out at me a bit. I wonder if part of the reason people take this approach is that over the past few years, they have been conditioned to expect groups like sports bodies or volunteer organisations to make these kinds of illogical or burdensome decisions that they have to just accept.
My husband has recently become involved in scouting. He was in the military previously so is no stranger to paperwork and safety culture, even CYA culture. But he has been really turned off by the extent to which regulations, supposedly directed to safety, keep them from doing what they are supposed to be doing. Things like, they could not take the kids for a walk in the nearby park, like they do every year, because the risk assessment paperwork wasn't in to the head office a month ahead of time. The local leaders just have to do their best with the time they have and accept what comes from above, which in reality is mostly dictated by lawyers thinking about liability (which isn't the same as safety though people often imagine it is.)

I can easily imagine volunteer run sports teams are very similar. Local organisers just have had to accept whatever comes down, no matter how stupid, and this is just another example.

As a 'hockey mum', who spends a good portion of weekends shouting encouragement from the sidelines, this conversation fills me with dread. I have kids playing in teams of either sex. Up until age 10 they play mixed teams (although the u10s do sometimes field single sex teams). From that point on there is a noticeable difference in how the game play goes between the sexes. Males play a faster, harder hitting game, females a slower but more team oriented game (vast simplification). It is blatantly different from ages 12 up. And from 13 girls can play up in the adult leagues- they would be annihilated playing against men. Or they wouldn't, they just wouldn't play. At All.

I could weep 🤐

Hi AvengingAngel, please do email Dr Nic Williams as she has suggested upthread. She has been very helpful to a young friend of mine who was having a similar issue with sport. You are not alone and you can trust Dr Nic to keep things confidential should you wish.

Hi, I am just gathering info and use the suggestions provided. Thanks so much for your help. I will reply to ideas and questions. Just wanted to say specifically to the hockey mum, it's the young girls on our team I am doing this for. I could weep too. x

Right epic email sent to @DoctorW!

I would ask them what specific definition of transwoman they are using or can it just be anybody who says 'today I'm cross-dressing' Pip Bunce style? Also if they make any limitations eg reduced testosterone or not playing for a men's team in the preceding 12 months?

@LoveGrowsWhere yes according to their policy. Live as a man - step on to the pitch as a woman - all gravy apparently.

Just to say even if it’s not hockey, it’s useful to get his thoughts on what buttons to press with the governing body as he’s involved at international level aka what’s going to maje them go “oh fuck”

@Kit19 any joy on the "oh fuck"?