Starmer backs banning tw from women's sport 🤔

[IcakethereforeIam]

He seems fairly unequivocal

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2024/03/11/keir-starmer-backs-ban-on-transgender-female-competition/

https://archive.ph/4lLbf jump the paywall, don't get stuck halfway

There's a rehash of a few things at the end. That some sports have already done this except football and cricket. Apparently they are being called to parliament to explain themselves!

How does he justify this, is it one of the biological women exceptions? If so then why not commit to the necessary amendments to the Equality Act.

Otherwise these are weasel words.

Having a daughter who is at county level in her sport I can also tell you that this is inadequate, as others have pointed out this has to be from grass roots level, otherwise there won't be any women's elite sport.

Starmer told Telegraph Sport: “I think the important thing is that the sports governing bodies take a lead on this. And they are doing that, and we’re supportive of what they’re doing, particularly in elite sport. So, that’s where the decision should be taken. They’ve taken a number of decisions.

He's not backing any particular stance. He's washing his hands of the issue, saying the decision should be up to the sporting bodies. "That's where the decision should be taken".

The telegraph headline was wildly optimistic in its interpretation of the above words

Spot on.

You need to define sex, Keir.

And yes, there is no elite sport without grassroots sport.

Sports in schools, they must be protected too.

Someone has been reading opinion polls.

That's all.

I wonder how Starker plans to ensure the integrity of women's sport, whilst simultaneously supporting the idea that men who claim to be women, can't be challenged cos 'transphobia'.

How's he going to actually word the law?

As I keep saying 'feelings' and 'ideas' don't make for good law. We need some actual crystal clear legal definitions...

...oh.

That's not going to work if sports bodies end up exposed to legal challenges because the law is a sack of shit.

The Telegraph in "Too soft on Starmer" shocker! 😃

Not sure when this was on Twitter but I feel we need a little palate cleanser in the middle of this Starmer talks bollocks again thread..

Yes, the British Cycling policy came in in May last year and the UCI (the world governing body) adopted a virtually identical policy in July. It’s worth noting that there has never been (to my knowledge) a transwomen on the podium in a BC race. The ban came in due to the Emily Bridges situation where a male cat 1 (the category below elite) transitioned and announced their intention to race as a woman. They never actually competed as a woman in a BC or UCI sanctioned race.

The only national federation that has derogated from the UCI is, predictably, Cycling USA, so males can still ride in any US domestic race that isn’t UCI sanctioned. However the big issue in the US is that traditional racing is absolutely dwarfed, both in terms of money and participation, by gravel racing. The gravel scene is completely unregulated and full of dopers (there is no testing) and a substantial number of men racing as women.

Emily Bridges has been threatening to sue BC for a year but nothing has come of
it. The EA clearly allows for single sex exceptions for sports and the EHRC has reiterated this. The governing bodies that have enacted a ban have the law on their side. Which makes it all the more peculiar that some (football, cricket, gymnastics) have not yet.

The Telegraph has got an article from their Chief Sports writer. He seems... erm...on the ball

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2024/03/11/sir-keir-starmer-transgender-womens-sport-debate-labour/

https://archive.ph/rbEzC fgs jump the paywall, don't try to straddle it

He generally approves of Starmer's apparent change in stance but also aware of the shortcomings and a big dose of ffs, duh!

Thank you @coureur it’s good to know what’s happening on the ground and that British women cyclists at least have been protected.

British Cycling doesn't protect the female category in noncompetitive cycling. Breeze rides, supposedly for women, are open to males who claim to be women or non-binary.
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/20231205-Transgender-and-Non-Binary-Participation-Policy-Implementation-FAQs-0

Regarding the overall picture, see the report from Fair Play for Women.
https://fairplayforwomen.com/new-report-how-trans-inclusion-in-sport-is-harming-women-and-girls/

Even Breeze rides

do I know what Starmer really thinks about anything? No. Whilst no fan of Thatcher you were never in any doubt what she thought and that she meant it. Of all the bones you can throw to the Terven, women's sports is the easiest sell(apart from women in prisons, and no one gives a fuck about prisoners), being the most manifestly unfair. And yet... Eagle the other day was banging on about beefed up sentences for hate speech and the like. Can I trust the LP on gender woo? Not a fucking hope.

Cake, Oliver Brown has been good on this for a while now. He even quotes Naomi Cunningham in this one:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/golf/2024/01/23/time-golf-crushed-trans-ideology-hailey-davidson-nxxt-women/
It'll be interesting to see if it gets a mention in the Guardian, and whether it's Jonathan Liew or Sean Inglis that's doing it.

What is he actually saying though. As pp's inc puffy said he is weak, is it not stopping them, or being proactive?

This is the problem they keep failing to address.

Nobody trusts anything they say.

"Starmer backs banning tw from women's sport"

Right up until he doesn't 🤔

Starmer is in a sense bowing to the inevitable AFTER women's resistance has made male takeover in many professional women's sports impossible though the fight in football and cricket , pool is still on. Starmer is just recognising reality after a struggle.

Obviously in grassroots sport the battle is still in the balance.

We don't trust him on this, BUT this is our chance to demand other parties make clear their position. For instance the SNP.

Starmer has at least said what he thinks. After years. What about leaders in other parties? Do women get sports or NOT?

@Snowypeaks yes, you are right about Breeze. BC-affiliated clubs are also permitted to set their own policies. The rules only apply to racing, from grassroots up. I’m not privy to the legal discussions but I suspect it was a question of pragmatism (there are Breeze rides that are actually run by transwomen and a substantial number of trans participants in places like London and Brighton) and possibly a legal issue as to whether the SSEs in the EA applied to non-competitive activities. Breeze is actually in a trickier situation than Parkrun as there isn’t any registration - you just rock up and ride. So at no point are you even asked to declare your sex.

He’s simply supporting the status quo established by the EA - sporting bodies decide. He won’t change the law on this issue.

That simply isn’t enough.

He needs to commit to updating the EA to make biological sex a protected characteristic. As does Sunak, as it happens.

Yep.