British Cycling Consultation on Transgender Policy

[lorisparkle]

Thought this might be of interest

www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/20201009-British-Cycling-publishes-Transgender-and-Non-Binary-Participation-policy-0

[Biscuitsanddoombar]

This one?

[StandWithYou]

Completed it.

[Manderleyagain]

The consultation, which is open to feedback from anyone, is designed to gather the views of members, the wider cycling community, staff, volunteers, and external partners, along with identified groups including but not limited to: Stonewall, Gendered Intelligence, Mermaids, Fair Play For Women, Women in Sport and the Women’s Sport Trust.

Does anyone know what the other two women's groups think about this issue? Ive got a feeling I've seen that one at least has gone twaw but I'm not sure. If ppl are involved or members of those groups it would be good to lobby in that direcrion too.

[EndoplasmicReticulum]

I don't feel I can complete the consultation sadly as I'd have to identify as being able to ride a bike!

[flyingfoxkins]

Well I get really cross about this stuff. Its hard enough to encourage teenage girls to stick in sport, and thats before we look at the locker room issue, without making it even harder. There are sports where it doesnt matter like equestrianism, but in cycling mens bodies will always have the advantage over women with strength and stamina. I`ve not seen any studies which suggest different.

[Callmejudith]

Completed. Horrified by the policy.

[GonadTheGaul]

I can't believe they've actually opened a consultation on this, I thought it would never happen!

For anyone who wants some references for the competitive aspect of the policy, try these, they're all open access:

Muscle Strength, Size, and Composition Following 12 Months of Gender-affirming Treatment in Transgender Individuals.
Wiik A. et al
J Clin Endocrinol Metab (2020); 105: 1–9

Transgender Women in the Female Category of Sport: Perspectives on Testosterone Suppression and Performance Advantage.
Emma N. Hilton, Tommy R. Lundberg
Sports Medicine doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01389-3

How does hormone transition in transgender women change body composition, muscle strength and haemoglobin? Systematic review with a focus on the implications for sport participation
Harper J. et al
Br J Sports Med doi:10.1136/bjsports-2020-103106

Here's why World Rugby say transwomen can't compete with women:
playerwelfare.worldrugby.org/?subsection=5
play.acast.com/s/realscienceofsport/whyrugbyscontroversialnewtransgenderguidelinesmakesenseforallsportingcodes

[FeckinCat]

I've filled in the consultation.

As a BC club welfare officer, I'm appalled at the idea of mixed sex changing rooms. How on earth could I take my safeguarding role seriously, knowing that our riders would be expected to use mixed sex changing rooms?

And then having to pretend that it's fair for our female riders to race against boys? Not a chance. Even during training sessions, you can see the differences in the time trials. Girls who are at the top end for their age group would trail behind even an average teenage boy.

It's yet another example of exclusion (of girls and women) being re-labeled as inclusion (of men and boys).

[Standrewsschool]

@EndoplasmicReticulum

I don't feel I can complete the consultation sadly as I'd have to identify as being able to ride a bike!

You don’t have to be a current cyclist to complete it. It’s open to everyone.

[Standrewsschool]

Just as an aside, just watched the documentary, Lance, on iplayer. Very interesting.

[BigHuff]

I don't think the survey is live yet? While you do appear to be able to give answers, there's a warning stating "This survey preview allows you to see what respondents will see when they take the survey. No data will be collected or saved."

So maybe wait to fill it in!!

[FeckinCat]

@BigHuff

I don't think the survey is live yet? While you do appear to be able to give answers, there's a warning stating "This survey preview allows you to see what respondents will see when they take the survey. No data will be collected or saved."

So maybe wait to fill it in!!

I missed that!

Thanks for the heads-up.

[Quadzilla]

Its live, I've just completed it. When that pop up comes up you can click past it.

[BigHuff]

@Quadzilla

Its live, I've just completed it. When that pop up comes up you can click past it.

Yes, but there's still a big banner at the top saying "survey preview" and the address has "preview" in it. I don't know if it's saving the answers or if they're just vanishing into the ether!

[Quadzilla]

It kept coming up when I looked on my phone but I’ve just filled it in in the PC and didn’t have any issues.

[MichelleofzeResistance]

Women will end up having to start new organisations from scratch and somehow find some way to name themselves that hasn't yet been taken from them and start all over.

Victorious destruction of women's sports.

[RedDeerRunning]

Anyone know anything about the views of Women In Sport and the Women's Sport Trust?

Never heard of either.. Presume they're as irrelevant and toothless as Fawcett and WEP?

[Biscuitsanddoombar]

Just had a quick rummage through Women in sport. They look to be pretty good - lots of clear statements about the lack of women’s representation in on sporting bodies, talking about issues around menopause, concerns about the drop out rate in teenage girls

www.womeninsport.org/

[Quadzilla]

In this document they appear to be quite concerned by the lack of men in their organisation.

[[https://www.womeninsport.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Diversity-Action-Plan-May-2019-1.pdf]{

[Taswama]

Thanks for flagging this.

[CousinKrispy]

It looked like the actual survey for me, not a preview survey. Thanks for sharing.

[Quadzilla]

@lorisparkle is it worth asking MNHQ to amend you title to be a little more explicit e.g. British Cycling opens consultation into Transgender policy

As the consultation is open to anyone, it's worth trying to get as many posters who are into sport to give their views.

[gardenbird48]

From the BC Transgender Policy:

Definitions:
Birth Gender: the gender that a person is assumed to be when they are born. This is usually based on the Sex they are assigned at birth.
Gender: the social, and cultural construction of what it means to be a man or a woman, including roles, expectations and behaviour.
Gender Identity: a person’s internal, deeply felt sense of self, for example, a man, a woman, or a NonBinary person. A person’s Gender Identity may or may not correspond with their Sex.
Medical Professional: a person qualified to provide medical treatment to an individual.
Non-Binary: where an individual does not identify as being part of the binary gender (male or female).
Participant: any person participating in an Event or other cycling related activity promoted or administered by British Cycling, including but not limited to any Member, Affiliate, Spectator, Licensee Volunteer or Contractor from time to time;
Recreational Activity: any non-competitive British Cycling organised activity, including but not limited to; the Breeze programme, Guided Ride, and Let’s Ride Pop-up.
Self-Identified Gender: the gender that the person identifies as, opposed to that which is assigned at birth, their ‘Birth Gender’.
Sex: a person’s biological and physical characteristics, defined usually as either ‘male’ or ‘female’ and including indeterminate Sex.
Transgender: a person whose Gender Identity is different from their physical Sex at birth. Those people who, as defined by the Equality Act 2010, share the protected characteristic of gender reassignment
and are described as transsexual people under the legislation.

I am embarrassed for the person who wrote that load of utter tosh.

They even have the audacity to say that transgender people are described and as Transsexual people under the EA 2010 - they are not. That is such a Stonewallism - 'the law hasn't quite caught up with us so we will redefine it ourselves'.... Talk about entrenching societal sex based stereotypes!!

[Quadzilla]

It really is guff. I'm so glad the first questions is what do you think of the definitions. Meaningless, BC, utterly meaningless.

[nothingcomestonothing]

Done, emphasising safeguarding and the actual protected characteristics under the Equailty Act. Feel like I could write this stuff in my sleep at this point, having filled in so many surveys/consultations/calls for evidence which all make the same mistakes. Funny that, isn't it? Almost like they have all been given the same misinformation...