Who is this Delia person who seriously believes that any of us advocate violence?
Delia Johnston played a significant role in ensuring the implementation of sporting bodies' policies enabling males who identify as transgender to take part in female teams, use changing rooms etc
BBC 2015 'Transsexual Delia Johnston - I hated sport before my sex change'
(extract)
"As a man, she was successful in her work in the communications industry, but an introvert. Now she's a self-confessed lunatic.
"I'm a party animal and I enjoy life to the max and I love sport, whereas before I hated sport with a vengeance," she said.
Her love for sport was triggered by working for London 2012 organisers Locog before and during the Olympics and Paralympics, looking after accreditation for athletes and officials." (continues)
www.bbc.com/sport/get-inspired/31748076
2015 Metro 'Transgender woman on struggle with new identity – and how she was accepted by the FA, but not her daughter'
(extract)
She now works as specialist diversity consultant for Trans In Sport, Northamptonshire Police and England Netball, fighting for the rights of the transgender community.
According to their 2003 rules the IOC [International Olympic Committee] says you need to be on two years of medical hormones before you can play on the team of your assigned gender – something Delia believes is the wrong approach. ‘I think those rules are stupid,’ she says. ‘The requirements are extremely demanding and not all individuals can achieve what is required in time. By then, they may have passed their peak in terms of performance.’ Delia argues that physically, you change greatly, quickly, once you start taking female hormones.
‘I believe sport is so important. It helps you socially physically and mentally,’ she says. ‘Sports UK and Sports England have now rolled out new guidance. They’ve issued a Transsexual Inclusion In Sport document for domestic, national and international competitions. ‘But there’s not enough actual sports governing bodies implementing changes and policy review in light of this. (continues)
As Delia says, some bodies deserve credit where it’s due. Namely, the English Football Association, or The FA. Delia worked for the organisation despite, she says, having been told they were ‘homophobic’. Undeterred, she went in and examined the structure of the organisation from a transgender perspective, and found The FA to be the most inclusive of all sports organisations she’d come across – and in fact, the most instrumental in getting transsexuals involved in football. ‘A female to male person wants to do what any other male does – which may include playing football,’ she says. ‘The FA has been the most pro-active and reactive in their inclusion of trans people within football. ‘There are, incredibly, many new transsexuals participating in various levels of football this year.’ Delia believes that if we keep this conversation going, even more trans athletes can step out in the field much sooner. ‘Looking back over the last five and a half years, who would have thought that I would achieve so much after going through so much, that I would help so many, and most importantly, that I would have so much fun?" (continues)
metro.co.uk/2015/10/21/transgender-woman-on-her-desperate-struggle-with-her-new-identity-and-how-she-was-accepted-by-the-fa-but-not-her-daughter-5376352/
2013 The Real Life Test: Delia Johnston at TEDxMiltonKeynesWomen
(I have a vague memory of there being a connection with Edward Lord, who was also involved with the FA, but can't be sure)