Transgender footy star sues AFL

[ChakaDakotaRegina]

HM is to sue the Australian Football League. Australian Rules Football is a similar game to rugby in that the ball is held and thrown and there are high impact tackles.

It is reported below that HM was unable to play in the senior league because they did not meet the lower testosterone level requirements for the women’s teams and also that they refused the offer of their own changing room.

It looks like HM wants to play in a lower women’s league (as opposed to an LGBT or mixed league)

While I’m sorry they don’t feel they are being taken seriously, I’m not sure the safety implications are coming across and I’m concerned this is just to set the precedent to later move up the women’s leagues, regardless of the impact on other participants.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9155345/Transgender-footy-star-Hannah-Mouncey-sues-AFL.html#article-9155345

Is HM more or less likely to break another women’s leg in a lower league

As for refusing a separate changing room I have no words. (Although thebewilderness’s people to won’t take no of for an answer aren’t safe to be around does come to mind)

Pictures are worth a thousand words as ever.

They talk about the message it sends to trans kids that they aren't allowed to play with the women, but absolutely no thought given to the message it sends to women, that it could be allowed to have a former man with all of that strength on the team. No concern about the injuries that women competing against 'zir' team could sustain.

This seems like the perfect lawsuit for people to view the facts. Visible facts like the size of HM arms, legs, chest, lungs. HM height, muscle and bone mass.

....Not allowed to play with other women....
Not impressed with the writing.

Agree Bing.

The writing is abysmal. Also a lie.

Female people are fundamentally not the same as biologically male people with lowered testosterone. The idea that HM could play against women if HM's testosterone were a little lower is absolutely outrageous.

Great news!

Sport is about fair competition & needs to be safe. HM cannot fairly compete with women. A women could be seriously hurt

Also it the mentions the policies being ‘exclusionary’ (rather than specific). And that they have tried highlighting their issues with the AFL multiple times since October (3 months ago).

It does make me wonder who here is not doing the listening.

I think that article makes a perfect decision on which photos to include. HM is clearly massive compared to HM’s teammates and opponents.

Go on Hannah! You are a shining example of why sport is sex segregated. Keep up the good work!

I was left out of the team for the World Championships because there was a group of players within the team, supported by the team manager, who did not want me showering or using the change rooms before or after the game,' she wrote at the time.

I understood the situation to be that another changing room was offered it wasn't a rejection from the team, more that this offer of a separate place for everyone's privacy and comfort was rejected for reasons best known only to HM.

@MingeofDeath

Go on Hannah! You are a shining example of why sport is sex segregated. Keep up the good work!

Agreed!

Only two comments showing, with massive voting leads. 2000 v 23.

Trans people deserve to be treated with the same amount of respect and dignity as the rest of society

What about respect for women Hannah? Don't female players deserve to be treated fairly and to play without fear of having their legs broken by mtf athletes who tower over them? Clip is from the Herald Sun...

absolutely no thought given to the message it sends to women

Almost as though a man who says he's a woman isn't like a woman at all.

Bloody Hell, you wouldn’t want Hannah running at you full speed would you?
Whatever her hormone levels and gender now she is clearly make bodies with the height and weight advantage that brings. It is clearly very dangerous for her to play a contact sport against women who never went through Male puberty. I don’t think her feelings trump that.
Also, the DM have clearly done a number on her, I hate that Racist sexist rag but they are very good at writing what would seem to be a factual piece while letting the photos speak for themselves.

Male bodied not make bodies

HM is built like a brick sh*thouse, which is blindingly obvious when you look a pictures of HM in action.
HM should not be tackling or getting HM's tackle anywhere near women.

*@mumsnet please could you revise the rules about pronoun usage. It makes sentences incredibly clunky when unable to use the correct sex based pronouns and there is no way on earth I'm going to be persuaded to use 'she/her' for a blindingly obviously male bodied person. It's getting tedious and ridiculous now and we're getting fed up with having to either lie or mangle the English language.

Ha! Deleted for pointing out how successful Hannah is at drawing attention to the issue.

I wish Hannah every success in this legal case. The more people know about how Hannah wishes to no longer being excluded from women’s sport (contact sport no less) showers and changing rooms and how women and organisations are saying no, the better. I look forward to the legal arguments as to how Hannah thinks Hannah qualifies for women’s sport. I think we’d all appreciate clarity on that.

I hope this case will also highlight that it isn't just about hormone levels. Male physical advantage goes way beyond that

Has HM kept the biological 'cause' of their high testosterone? If being considered in the same sphere of womanhood, and the testosterone levels that requires, why has HM not taken steps to remove these little 'reasons'??