Sporting organisations who have restricted the female category to mean the female sex..

[ChateauMargaux]

The policies might not all be perfect - but they are moving in the right direction - I would like to take a moment to recognise all of those who have steps in the right direction..

The UK's Sports Councils
https://equalityinsport.org/resources/index.html
Categorisation within the sex binary is and remains the most useful and functional division relative to sporting performance.

Swim England
https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/transgender-competition-policy-update/
Only athletes who have declared a birth sex of female will compete in the ‘female’ category.

FINA: Fédération Internationale de Natation.
https://resources.fina.org/fina/document/2022/06/19/525de003-51f4-47d3-8d5a-716dac5f77c7/FINA-INCLUSION-POLICY-AND-APPENDICES-FINAL-.pdf
Male-to-female transgender athletes ... is female are eligible to compete in the women’s category... if they .....have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 or before age 12.

World Athletics:
https://worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/council-meeting-march-2023-russia-belarus-female-eligibility
In regard to transgender athletes, the Council has agreed to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes who have been through male puberty from female World Rankings competition from 31 March 2023.

British Cycling
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/20230526-about-bc-static-Update--Transgender-and-Non-Binary-Participation-policies-0
The ‘Female’ category will remain in place for those whose sex was assigned female at birth and transgender men who are yet to begin hormone therapy.

British Triathlon
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/britain/documents/about/edi/transgender-policy-effective-from-01-jan-2023.pdf.
Only people who are the female sex at birth will be eligible to compete in the Female category.

Come on British Rowing, England Hockey, Scotland Hockey, Parkrun and IOC..

Persuasive article here.. let's not stop at elite athletes - all athletes are entitled to fair competition.

https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/8/1/e001273#:~:text=Athletes%20are%20currently%20excluded%20from,sex%20variations%20in%20November%202021.

It feels like the tide has changed! Though I did see Emily Bridges release a statement where he thought this was “genocide” 😬

About bloody time that common sense prevailed.

@tigger2022 .. I wish the papers had interviewed the women who have been silently cheering or perhaps shedding tears of relief that this has been changed.... thinking, thank fuck for that, now get on with the rest of it.. if it matters here.. look around and see where else it might matter.... yet again, when it is a story about women.. they asked men to comment.

But yeah!! Keep the policy changes coming!!!

World Rugby

https://www.world.rugby/the-game/player-welfare/guidelines/transgender

The tide is definitely on the turn. Not just sports bodies, but company marketing, eg Bud Lite.
I note that Dreamies have now removed their rainbow packaging, so I am buying them again. My cat is ecstatic!

World Boxing...

https://wbcboxing.com/en/world-boxing-council-statement-guidelines-regarding-transgender-athletes-participation-in-professional-combat-sports/

Shame though about the 98% of women in everyday sports that still have to compete against transgender males.

'all athletes are entitled to fair competition'.... not just elite ones..

Joint position statement of the International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS) and European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations (EFSMA) on the IOC framework on fairness, inclusion and non-discrimination based on gender identity and sex var

Thanks @Signalbox for so long it seemed so bleak - this is great news.

How does 'female sex at birth' work with those TW who have had their birth certificates changed?

It's frustrating that these things only change incrementally especially when there is such a clear case for fairness and safety. But I think there's pressure at grass roots level too. Hopefully things will keep changing as more and more people wake up and realise that the emperor is wearing no clothes.

The original 'at birth' certificate still exists.

International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF)

https://immaf.org/2022/09/08/transgender-inclusion-in-combat-sports-summary-of-immaf-thought-leadership-session/#:~:text=CURRENT%20IMMAF%20POLICY%20%5B%202021%5D,categories%20on%20a%20safety%20basis.

Rugby League and Rugby Union (for contact rugby only I think)

https://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12040/12661168/rugby-football-union-and-rugby-football-league-ban-transgender-women-playing-female-rugby

Maybe soon we can move forward to the point where TWATW. Visibility and acceptance.

TWATW? I'm confused by that one.

Transwomen are transwomen

Thankyou!

I'm also holding out for England Netball to take a stand against allowing TW to play the women's leagues.

While there are fewer male-only leagues, there are plenty of mixed leagues available for TW to join. I specifically do not play in mixed leagues due to the incredible disparity in ability (there are already rules to limit the number of male participants that can be on court at one time in these games, due to obvious reasons!).

If it is allowed, it will be heartbreaking, and incredibly shortsighted...

Ah fab all of this happening and the GAA is the one taking the lead on allowing TW in Gaelic football 🙄🙄🙄

Whether it's possible to find it is another matter if the individual has changed their name.

Which is why the GRA needs reforming, so that the original birth certificate cannot be falsified, in the same way changing one's name officially (AKA by deed poll) doesn't alter the name on the original birth cert.

Oh, and National Insurance numbers need to be linked properly to all a person's names, and visible to all appropriate authorities.

Very encouraging news - hopefully the tide is turning (and for good!)

@Ornamentalcabbages .. write to the board of England Netball, point out that they are not in compliance with the guidance from the UK's Sports Councils issued in September 2021 https://equalityinsport.org. Point out all of these organisations who have already taken steps to implement this guidance.

This article is also worth reading.. and maybe even using. Joint position statement of the International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS) and European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations (EFSMA) on the IOC framework on fairness, inclusion and non-discrimination based on gender identity and sex var

Remind them that all athletes are entitled to fair competition, whether they are a 50 year old woman or a 12 year old girl.. Fairness in sport is not restricted to International Competition.

Suck on that Keir Starmer/Lisa Nandy/Ed Davey et al...

@Fiddlededeefiddlededoh ... maybe it needs to be pointed out the GAA that perhaps being ahead of the curve will actually leave them in a pretty lonely position if the international bodies of the major international sports spearheaded by FINA and World Athletics are adopting a sex based approach to the female category.

Hmmm.. where are the FA on this - I cannot find anything after 2014 - which is based on the now 'outdated and no longer fit for purpose' guidance from UK's Sports Councils.. and not the reissued Sept 2021 Guidance.. off to find emails to write to..