It's started in Irish dancing too. 14 year old trans child wins world qualifying event

[Greyheart1]

https://tennesseestar.com/news/parents-outraged-after-trans-identifying-boy-wins-girls-irish-dancing-competition-heads-to-worlds/admin/2023/12/10/

This means that the girl outside the qualifying spots in the U14 competition has missed out on her chance to dance at the world championships next year.
Devestating. It is an extremely expensive sport.

I would absolutely believe that the increased leg strength from a male puberty would be a significant and unfair advantage. The individual competed within the rules. Those who made those rules are to blame for this travesty.

The cost of it for the poor girls & parents. I feel so sorry for the girl who can't go to the world championships now. The dresses alone are 2,000 quid. It's an absolute disgrace that it's come to this. But you are absolutely correct the child did compete with the organisation Clrg rules. Until rules change this will continue to happen.

So there were 2 petitions - one calling for 'single gender competition', one to 'support trans Irish dancers'.

On had 4k signatures, one had 1k.

Seems one has been deleted.

Guess which one?

If it’s a competition just for girls, then fair enough. In reality though it sounds like an elitist ‘sport’ where only people with enough money can afford for their child to partake. I’d be fighting to make it a much more accessible activity. £2k for a dress!!!

Surely what the dress costs is a red herring.

A girl is missing out in a girl’s competition because a boy has entered and won. It’s the same issue if the dresses came from Asda.

So sorry for all those dancers displaced. Glad to hear that parents and girls know it is unfair. Shame they can't speak out publicly. (Not them, the rules that mean they will be penalised if they do)

Jesus Mary and Joseph, is nothing sacred?

Not quite that much. I've a friend who is a single parent and on a teacher's salary is able to afford the costumes for her daughter.

Waiting for the Daily Mail to pick this up. I see this morning Gript has it on their facebook page. The comments say it all really.
Awful that a poor girl has missed out on her chance to compete at the world championships.
However again the organisation Clrg is at fault & is standing by its decision stating inclusivity.

@MidWineCent at the top level world champ level they are indeed 2k. My dd danced for years. Then factor in wigs, shoes, tan, make up, travel. It's insanely expensive.

Hmm Irish dancing looks like drag anyway to me… makes me a bit uncomfortable tbh. Not surprising it attracts people who might otherwise do drag…!

The petition should have been called 'single sex', not single gender, although Im guessing thats the one that got deleted?

are you suggesting that expensive sports shouldn’t be single sex?

pro tennis racquets, bicycles, cricket bats, golf clubs - you could easily spend more than the cost of the dresses. Are all these sports (and others) which should be mixed sex?

https://www.change.org/p/protect-female-irish-dancers-in-gender-specific-world-qualifying-championships-worldwide?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_37783623_en-US%3A7&recruiter=1323488450&recruited_by_id=f99319b0-9555-11ee-ac90-5977b9ff5c33&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf&share_bandit_exp=initial-37783623-en-US

This petition is still active with over 4,000 signatures.

One comment I found interesting- the boy will have had to learn new techniques and steps to dance with the girls. He shouldn’t be there, but he will have had to work harder than say a swimmer.
And again, 11th in the boys’ first in the girls’. So next year the 12th, 13th, 14th boys could join as girls and have a decent shot of making it a female free podium.

Hmm signed the petition but they didn't send me an email link to confirm 😕

@pickledandpuzzled but the advantage will be there. Extra stamina, leg strength, higher jumps, louder in the heavy shoes. The child has to learn a different style but it's not that different at all, same technique & moves.
At the end of the day it's the organisation Clrg who have allowed this. Not very inclusive to the poor girl who can't go to Glasgow for the world championships next year.

And again, 11th in the boys’ first in the girls’. So next year the 12th, 13th, 14th boys could join as girls and have a decent shot of making it a female free podium

tbh that's probably the best outcome in terms of bringing attention to it. Sharp elbowed parents who have spent years ferrying their daughters to the dance competitions would be a force to be reckoned with.

As for making it more accessible - I'm not in Ireland so i don't know, how does it all work?

Is the boy in the same changing room as the girls?

@Beowulfa I don't know what way that works. I'm hoping the mainstream media this side of the pond pick it up to highlight the unfairness. The Daily Mail is great for this!

Totally agree .

Oh, good. Odd it seemed to have disappeared, maybe a glitch.

I've just signed it

The petition is still there, I have added over on the petition section also.