Australian sport transgender inclusion

[Kit19]

You’ll be unsurprised you know that the inclusion of trans athletes comes above all else 🙄

www.reuters.com/article/us-sports-australia-transgender-idUSKBN26M42M

Let's spell out in simple language what they are proposing.

Note that the sports bodies listed include the governing bodies of Australian rules football (a full contact sport) and rugby union (a full contact sport).

They are saying that if it comes to a straight choice between protecting women from a significantly raised risk of injury, up to and including life changing spinal injuries and (worst case) death, or not hurting trans players' feelings, they put trans players first.

That's right: male people's hurt feelings count for more than women's spines and lives.

Sooo... Rugby Australia have gone with 'Rugby Australia requires trans athletes to have a medical specialist complete a consent form that specifies that their “physical development, skill level and experience are appropriate” for the full-contact sport.'

I will now go and see just what this means. This may be saying 'if a male child has had puberty blockers and not gone through male puberty'. Sadly, there are young transwomen who have been able to go this route if I remember correctly ('sadly' because of the number of health risks associated with this route of treatment).

That's right: male people's hurt feelings count for more than women's spines and lives.

...until they get sued. That's the only thing that will stop it, massive massive litigation in the event of injury. Sue them so much they can't get insured.
Money is the only thing these people value more than men's feelings.

@CaraDuneRedux

Let's spell out in simple language what they are proposing.

Note that the sports bodies listed include the governing bodies of Australian rules football (a full contact sport) and rugby union (a full contact sport).

They are saying that if it comes to a straight choice between protecting women from a significantly raised risk of injury, up to and including life changing spinal injuries and (worst case) death, or not hurting trans players' feelings, they put trans players first.

That's right: male people's hurt feelings count for more than women's spines and lives.

yep basically that

even without that its just so enraging to see that yet again women have no space that is just for them, not even sports designated for women are actually able to be just for women but must be 'for women and men who say they are women'

if i wanted to play sport with men id play mixed sport designed form the off to be mixed. i dont expect to join a woman's sports team and then find it includes male bodied people

There doesn't seem to be anything official yet in answer to the World Rugby Women's policy. So, I would not be surprised if they will go with something like 'if a male hasn't gone through puberty'. And maybe for now, that is the best we can expect with the lack of studies done on pre-puberty male advantages.

Interesting, seeing as they know this matters and have age-weight bands at junior level (mainly because of complaints about islander kids being generally physically bigger and stronger at an earlier age).

australia.rugby/-/media/safety-and-welfare/sizeforageguidelinesforagegraderugby2020_.pdf?la=en&hash=0022E95CF2B8890E243D08B3542A884B

This makes me so angry. I've played friendly football (soccer) against men for years, where they hold back physically because to play at their full speed and strength would put me at serious risk of harm. And it feels demoralising and pointless on many occasions. If I played against men competitively it would feel completely unsafe. In fact I have played against a trans women and that was exactly how it felt.
That's the experience they're happy for all women to have whenever they try to enjoy sport.

@Truthlikeness

This makes me so angry. I've played friendly football (soccer) against men for years, where they hold back physically because to play at their full speed and strength would put me at serious risk of harm. And it feels demoralising and pointless on many occasions. If I played against men competitively it would feel completely unsafe. In fact I have played against a trans women and that was exactly how it felt. That's the experience they're happy for all women to have whenever they try to enjoy sport.

Yup, same here.

Mixed sex jumpers for goal posts in the park - the men held back.

Mixed sex competitive 5-a-side - rules specify that it's non contact (but even then you pick up some interesting bruises).

I'm just thinking what a badly timed, studs-up sliding tackle by a 12 stone bloke into an 8 stone woman would do to her leg...

It doesn't doesn't even have to be as full-on as a sliding tackle. They regularly send me flying just from knocking into me at a slow run. It's the most ludicrous mismatch.

Ha, yes, I once collided with a colleague (lovely bloke) at 5-a-side. Built like the proverbial brick outhouse. He was stationary. I was running. I bounced off and ended up flat on my back.

Did you ever used to get those bruises from blocking men's shots? The ones that end up like a doughnut because the centre of the impact was so hard it didn't actually bruise, then round it you've got this halo with the outline of the hexagons and pentagons from the ball picked out in a fetching variety of yellows and purples?

Never had one of those playing women's Sunday league!

The argument is that inclusion and fairness should come before anything else, but the reality is that it won't be inclusive.

For team sports female athletes will be put off playing against trans athletes because of points already mentioned,

For competitive sports, particularly where money is concerned if one team can progress due to a trans athletes' physicality then every team will want a trans athlete on their team and before you know it hey presto, you have the man's team and the 'non man's' team.

And just like that women's sport has been destroyed.

There's a comment on the Hockey Australia Facebook page. Looks like some misinterpretation of discrimination law in the policy. How surprising (not!)

@CaraDuneRedux

Ha, yes, I once collided with a colleague (lovely bloke) at 5-a-side. Built like the proverbial brick outhouse. He was stationary. I was running. I bounced off and ended up flat on my back.

Did you ever used to get those bruises from blocking men's shots? The ones that end up like a doughnut because the centre of the impact was so hard it didn't actually bruise, then round it you've got this halo with the outline of the hexagons and pentagons from the ball picked out in a fetching variety of yellows and purples?

Never had one of those playing women's Sunday league!

Haha - I seem to have avoided those, but now you mention it, I got hit in the face by the ball a lot more playing against men than women's Sunday league. I also play co-ed softball, which is about as fair as any mixed team sport can be, but there are still so many extra risks and disadvantages from playing as a woman.

Poor treatment from the league

Erm hannah mouncey quit cos they weren't allowed in the showers with their in tact body, with the rest of the team. Tell the truth ffs

Goanna

That is a very clear comment on that post isn't it. And it also shows that to include gender identity with sex and intersex leads to a dilution of sex and intersex. I am sure that those sporting commissions will keep pushing this line though. It would take some big names to complain to stop it as it would mean the commissions will have to admit to the harms they have done to women's sport through their inclusion policies over the past 15-20 years.

So men have men's sports. And men have women's sports. How very lovely for men. And they'll let women play in the women's sports too, but they need to accept that they may get maimed or killed in the process.

But totally worth it since it will make a prostate bearer feel validated in their identity. #theyreonlyfemales

I wonder if all of the policies have the same misinterpretation? I might go looking.

Water polo FAQ addressing shower facilities cdn.revolutionise.com.au/cups/wpal/files/3sriynotvoeh1pxp.pdf

I wish I could say this guidelines shock me but they don't.

Netball Australia is complex netball.com.au/sites/default/files/2020-10/POLICY-INT015-Inclusion-of-Transgender-and-Gender-Diverse-Athletes-in-Elite-Netball-20200331.pdf

Netball Australia's explanatory document is interesting. netball.com.au/sites/default/files/2020-10/ExplanatoryMemo-TransgenderandGenderDiverseAthletes-NetballAustralia-022020%20.pdf

Ah I see that there is no effect on women's changing rooms for Water Polo 'cos TWAW. So that's ok.

Well if its a womans match I wonder if they all identified as men at shower time and use the presumably empty mens room? They can shower in there and the woman can have the shower to herself in the womens

The Water Polo statement smacks of condescension and minimisation. And it is just plain ignorant of the trends that are coming to light of the lack of safety in gender neutral facilities (including voyeurists).