Ulster Rugby banned from Belfast Pride

AfingeroffudgeisNOTenough · 2023-07-07T14:51:16+00:00

[[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66133519.amp BBC News Article here]] Ulster Rugby have been banned from taking part in Belfast Pride because of the IRUF policy on not allowing male born players in the women’s teams. I so hope Ulster Rugby stand proud in this exclusion - they are 100% in the right here. SUFTUW

LoobiJee · 07/07/2023 16:09

That bbc article merits a complaint for the inaccurate headline. Males who identify as transgender are not banned from male teams.

nettie434 · 07/07/2023 16:14

I really can't believe that anyone in Belfast Pride has ever watched a rugby match. 'Trans exclusionary' to protect players who already play in one of the sports which has one of the highest levels of long term health problems among ex-professional players!

(I am not minimising the impact for non-professionals. It's just that it's easier to prove things like the long term effects of concussion on people who've played professionally).

MrsOvertonsWindow · 07/07/2023 16:22

"Following its exclusion, Belfast's Pride organisers described their festival as "unapologetically trans inclusive".
I think they mean "unapologetically uncaring of and dangerous to, women"

Still - the more these bullies shed sunlight on this, the easier it is for the public to head up and over that mountain.

LiOLeary · 07/07/2023 16:30

nettie434 · 07/07/2023 16:14

I really can't believe that anyone in Belfast Pride has ever watched a rugby match. 'Trans exclusionary' to protect players who already play in one of the sports which has one of the highest levels of long term health problems among ex-professional players!

(I am not minimising the impact for non-professionals. It's just that it's easier to prove things like the long term effects of concussion on people who've played professionally).

I really can't believe that anyone in Belfast Pride has ever watched a rugby match.

What? This is a bonkers statement. Are you saying that no gay people that might attend Pride like Rugby?

nettie434 · 07/07/2023 16:47

Not at all @LiOLeary. It just seems so clear that the decision to exclude trans women from women's teams is on the grounds of safety, not to be exclusionary.

LiOLeary · 07/07/2023 16:53

nettie434 · 07/07/2023 16:47

Not at all @LiOLeary. It just seems so clear that the decision to exclude trans women from women's teams is on the grounds of safety, not to be exclusionary.

You said "I really can't believe that anyone in Belfast Pride has ever watched a rugby match"

That has nothing to do with your previous statement about their exclusion from Pride for whatever reason.

NecessaryScene · 07/07/2023 16:58

You said "I really can't believe that anyone in Belfast Pride has ever watched a rugby match"

Clearly meaning the organisers who made this decision. Are you saying the attendees of the Pride event made the decision? That's is a bonkers statement.

nettie434 · 07/07/2023 16:59

I think you are deliberately trying to misinterpret what I wrote. I was expressing an opinion that nobody who had watched a rugby match would think it was being trans exclusionary to exclude trans women from female teams. That's all.

LiOLeary · 07/07/2023 17:02

NecessaryScene · 07/07/2023 16:58

You said "I really can't believe that anyone in Belfast Pride has ever watched a rugby match"

Clearly meaning the organisers who made this decision. Are you saying the attendees of the Pride event made the decision? That's is a bonkers statement.

Ok you're saying that of all the organizers of Pride (12 members with a wide variety of backgrounds), no one watches rugby - you have zero way to know that and it absolute plays into a stereotype of gay people.

This board goes to great lengths to say it's not antigay, homophobic, etc. Flippant comments like this are bullshit.

LiOLeary · 07/07/2023 17:03

I really can't believe that anyone in Belfast Pride has ever watched a rugby match.

I honestly don't know how I can misinterpret that very clear sentence.

Abhannmor · 07/07/2023 17:04

Ulster Rugby is not diminished one iota by this petulant exclusion. They have a duty of care to women players after all.

Perhaps this stance on protecting women will go some way towards restoring their good name which was ruined in the rape trial involving three of their players.

NecessaryScene · 07/07/2023 17:06

I honestly don't know how I can misinterpret that very clear sentence.

IKR. Neither do we.

zanahoria · 07/07/2023 17:08

Wow!

Belfast Pride must be so proud of themselves sticking up for those poor men who are not allowed to play women's rigby.

Florissante · 07/07/2023 17:08

LiOLeary · 07/07/2023 17:02

Ok you're saying that of all the organizers of Pride (12 members with a wide variety of backgrounds), no one watches rugby - you have zero way to know that and it absolute plays into a stereotype of gay people.

This board goes to great lengths to say it's not antigay, homophobic, etc. Flippant comments like this are bullshit.

Show quote history

Abhannmor · 07/07/2023 17:09

nettie434 · 07/07/2023 16:59

I think you are deliberately trying to misinterpret what I wrote. I was expressing an opinion that nobody who had watched a rugby match would think it was being trans exclusionary to exclude trans women from female teams. That's all.

100%. Nobody in his or her right mind you might have added as a qualifier.

But then you'd be pulled up over mental health I suppose? It's so tiring , how does anyone write anything at all now.....

Farmageddon · 07/07/2023 17:09

LiOLeary · 07/07/2023 17:02

Ok you're saying that of all the organizers of Pride (12 members with a wide variety of backgrounds), no one watches rugby - you have zero way to know that and it absolute plays into a stereotype of gay people.

This board goes to great lengths to say it's not antigay, homophobic, etc. Flippant comments like this are bullshit.

Show quote history

Oh, now I get it - you're being deliberately obtuse....

OvaHere · 07/07/2023 17:11

I'm sure Ulster Rugby are sobbing into their pillows.

NecessaryScene · 07/07/2023 17:12

Ok you're saying that of all the organizers of Pride (12 members with a wide variety of backgrounds), no one watches rugby - you have zero way to know that and it absolute plays into a stereotype of gay people.

There are two possibilities here.

They have watched rugby and nevertheless, knowing what it looks like, think women should be forced to play against men.
They haven't watched rugby so they don't understand that it's a full-contact sport. Someone will show it to them and they'll reconsider.

Nettie34 is very generously trying to think the best of the organisers, and saying she believes it must be 2.

You're insisting it must be 1, which is likely true, but Nettie doesn't want to think that badly of anyone.

Whereas you are very clear they're a bunch of utter misogynist shits who hate women. That's not very nice, you know. And plays into a stereotype of gay men, to boot. Naughty.

zanahoria · 07/07/2023 17:14

OvaHere · 07/07/2023 17:11

I'm sure Ulster Rugby are sobbing into their pillows.

It just advertises the fact that they are doing the right thing and their critics not only want to destroy women's sport but hurt women on the process.

MrsOvertonsWindow · 07/07/2023 17:14

The tedious monitoring of women's words 😑 Presumably an attempt to divert attention away from a pride group determined that women and girls will be put physically at risk from the men they're determined to wedge in to women's sport. Despite the endless stream of clear evidence of the dangers to women in a contact sport like rugby.

SirChenjins · 07/07/2023 17:15

It is indeed a dark day when men are prevented from tackling women to the ground.

Oh no, hang on…

Well done Ulster Rugby, and thank you for standing up for women.

JogOn123 · 07/07/2023 17:24

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Tessisme · 07/07/2023 17:25

Finally, we get one thing right in NI. No men in women's sport. Let's hope it stays that way,

MissyB1 · 07/07/2023 17:29

Tessisme · 07/07/2023 17:25

Finally, we get one thing right in NI. No men in women's sport. Let's hope it stays that way,

Amen to that!!

duc748 · 07/07/2023 17:40

So can I ask, does anyone know, every town these days has a Pride event, it seems (including mine). Is there a Pride national organisation, with policies, or is each event purely run by local groups? I don't have much interest in rugby union; rugby league is my sport, but my understanding was that both codes were clear that no men can play in women's teams. And obviously rightly so. But at least publicity like this sheds a bit of light, so a good thing.