Breaking news - Emily won't compete

[Doyoumind]

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/60934099

@ResisterRex

This particular decision is good as it protects females. I'm interested to see what's next, as seems to be implied by Sajad Javid:

twitter.com/unherd/status/1509221580097957898

Full interview online tomorrow.

I wonder if the government are going to finally start applying some pressure to sporting bodies?

They must know the vast majority of the public are behind them re female sports.

It's very heartening that there was the stirrings of a boycott from female cyclists.

Let's get rid of men's sports competition. We can have female events and open events. Sorted.

Good Emily is biologically a bloke so has an unfair advantage

Oops, I meant Sajid Javid.

Yes I wonder if some statement is on the way. It should be. There's a lot they need to be clear on and to fix.

Sport is the clearest case where women are not a sub-class of men. Not non-men. You can't just drop your testosterone levels and hey presto you're a female.

Imagine if all our work to nurture talent and increase our medals in the Olympics was wiped out by males in female sports categories. This matters.

And if sex matters in sport then it damn well matters in health. It matters that women were given appalling maternity care, which they got because of their sex. Because men don't, can't, never will give birth.

Good grief The Guardian sounded positively TERFy there, saying that actually the research has already been done & if male persons (of whatever identity) are allowed to participate in female sport they will have - even with reduced testosterone levels - a ridiculous advantage due to permanent changes caused by puberty.

I’m all for more study though - ALL the sunlight, every single last ray of it, to reach into the very darkest corner. But that can happen with TW removed from women’s sports.

The astonishment at there not being a ready-made well-resourced space available for [please select from list of all things ever] is one of the most effective signals TWANW; and it’s only further amplified by the solution never being to work to create their own spaces* but to i. demand women give up the spaces they have created, often from their own limited resources & ii. to keep insisting that they are a population of paradoxes which must never be questioned because they are the most vulnerable & fragile & the rest of society must act to protect them (but only as instructed, only a dreadful bigot would do something evidence-based).

• which would [have] be[en] insanely easy [in the UK/Ireland/Canada/most of Australia/much of America] for about the last 10 or so years as money & other resources would have been thrown at groups who wished to do so

Sean ingle is most definitely on the terfy side of the street

@titchy

Good. Ban needs to be on any competitor who has undergone male puberty though.

I think you are right. It’s deeply unfair on genuine trans athletes, of course, but growing up with a male hormone profile is confers a deeply unfair advantage over women who grew up with a female hormone profile. Elite sport is so competitive, that there absolutely will be men who transition fraudulently and there is no way to differentiate. So what else can be done?!

The good thing about this new wave of sportswomen speaking up is that they are bound to start to realise the other issues/inconsistencies within this 'trans debate' ..
Sports is like the gateway to realise the issues around women and children's safeguarding, safe spaces, shortlists, rights, prisons... Etc etc. It's like everytime a celebrity person joins in they will join the whole fight. So its great... Waves and waves of new people now uncovering what is going on. Alongside (hopefully) some pro-trans people starting to see the flaws themselves....

@ScribblingPixie

It's very heartening that there was the stirrings of a boycott from female cyclists.

Was there?!

BC have been very vocal on this. Even emailing us minion members telling us not to have non inclusive thoughts or they will boot us out.

BC sound very wishy washy and “do we have to “ but the Guardian article makes it clear there are not masses of UK female cyclists declaring support for Emily and in fact suggests some have threatened to boycott the event.
Lia Thomas highlighted to “the man/woman in the street” the injustice of inclusion of TW in female sport, and Emily Bridges has emphasised the stupidity of a man being able to flip flop from one category to another.
I’m hopeful that sport could reach a turning point on this issue. I’ve also written to my local hospital and my local MP (Tory) about the issue of single sex wards and the reported rape by a TW of a female patient as it is a very pertinent question to be raised which endangers all women, and therefore is a relatable issue for a wider audience.

Agatha. That’s an appalling attempt to silence women in the sport.

God, the statement from British Cycling though. Couldn't bring themselves to mention actual women once.

BC have been very vocal on this. Even emailing us minion members telling us not to have non inclusive thoughts or they will boot us out.

I think the wonderful Tonia Antoniazzi may have precipitated this
twitter.com/LabWomenDec/status/1509125454724276232?t=wspwhCl1RZW7meOAUYfIvg&s=19

@SallyLockheart

Agatha. That’s an appalling attempt to silence women in the sport.

Yep. Every member got the email. It was very, very clear.

BC have folk over a barrel though. It’s not even about the race licence for most members. It’s the insurance you get. No one else comes close to it. Anyone serious about their bike/cycling needs it and has it.

I think the wonderful Tonia Antoniazzi may have precipitated this

God she is brilliant - I have a big crush!

Good. Needs to be competing against people of the same sex.

Sense at last

BC have folk over a barrel though. It’s not even about the race licence for most members. It’s the insurance you get. No one else comes close to it. Anyone serious about their bike/cycling needs it and has it.

Yes it's a problem. I'd like DH to cancel his and he probably would if it wasn't a condition of the cycling club he's in.

I'd leave the club rather than pay a penny to BC but he's not quite as irate and invested as me.

@ColourMagic

ZaraSizeMedium:

"Nope, that still leave a loophole.

It's quite simple, males shouldn't compete in female sports categories"

Yes. Exactly that.

Totally agree.

But he added the governing body "fully recognises the rights of transgender athletes to do sport".

Me too. And Emily is not being excluded? Emily can compete with the other males.

@OvaHere

BC have folk over a barrel though. It’s not even about the race licence for most members. It’s the insurance you get. No one else comes close to it. Anyone serious about their bike/cycling needs it and has it.

Yes it's a problem. I'd like DH to cancel his and he probably would if it wasn't a condition of the cycling club he's in.

I'd leave the club rather than pay a penny to BC but he's not quite as irate and invested as me.

Same situation in my house except my husband is IRATE about this and so are all the cyclists we know - but they have to be insured. It’s infuriating for everyone.