Trans women in rugby

[Buggabootwo]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-14702287/Female-rugby-player-left-sickening-injury-horror-tackle-transgender-opponent-asks-allowed-happen.html

In a completely foreseeable turn of events, a woman has been seriously injured by a trans woman player whilst playing rugby. But I have questions. World Rugby was extremely noteworthy in the early stages of the women’s sport discussions. They commissioned scientific research (Emma Hilton was part of it from memory) and came to a pretty bombproof conclusion that men in a women’s contact sport was a bad idea so banned it and AFAIK that hasn’t been challenged. I appreciate that the ban was at international and elite level which they govern rather than grass roots, but this “accident” (can’t think of another word, cos it wasn’t an accident) took place in a professional league in The Netherlands. How the hell has this happened? And can it happen elsewhere? I am concerned that we are celebrating the victories in sport but actually things are carrying on as they were and governing bodies are powerless to do anything. Or do they just not care once they have ticked the box and aren’t bothering to police it?

Its not allowed at any level in the UK past U11s.

However there a quite a few girls that don't identify as girls on the female teams.... its a sport that's extremely welcoming that way round.

There's not much the governing bodies can do - they have no direct power over sport within individual countries.

Thinking of the Afghanistan cricket stuff recently the only real power the international governing bodies have is to bar teams from international competition.

So maybe a campaign to get international bodies to bar the men's teams from countries that do not have female-only versions of the corresponding sport?

World Rugby could bar the Netherlands until they sort out their rules.

I’m totally cool with that so long as they are on the right biological team. Rugby was a welcoming environment for tomboys and girls who weren’t interested in stereotypical femininity back in the late Jurassic when I used to play. I guess it’s an evolution of the same and the emphasis on physical fitness will hopefully stop them wanting medical interventions too.
But I was aware of the England position re U11 limit and I believe that is replicated in the 6N and SAANZAR unions too. I assumed that was the norm after the regulatory efforts a few years ago. But this Dutch situation says very different.

And I would like to see World Rugby intervene. They have done the right thing and led the way when other sports failed. They need to back it up.

I know a few years ago American or Canadian teams were actively recruiting transwomen.... because they are bigger.

(I played a bit in the late Jurassic as well, and Mixed Hockey. If there's any sport which highlights the dangers its the craziness of Mixed Hockey....)

I think that while the national & international bodies look at elite & professional rugby, they've left the "hobby" leagues (ie where most women play) to do their own thing.

Cowards.

Quite! Though I am interested to know what powers World Rugby have and am now reading their Bye Laws. It does seem that “fuck all” covers it below elite level.

Bringing in Emma Hilton to assess rugby, of all sports, was very much using an anti-tank gun to crack a walnut. Any sane person who'd seen a game could have given the correct answer.

Unfortunately, the Netherlands seems to be oversupplied with people who are definitely not sane about anything trans. Or sport. Or women. As their 2024 Olympic team demonstrated.

We have no sex based rights in the Netherlands as in Dutch law our word for sex was changed to mean gender identity AND gender identity was added as a protected characteristic, cheered on by our feminist organisations.
So even if sports organisations wanted to exclude male people, legally they can't.

Fuck I had no idea! That’s horrendous in so many (well discussed) ways and people should hang their heads in shame. . And in this particular context, it’s the death knell for female contact sports. This injury is a direct result of that policy and someone will get their neck broken. Rugby has taken such great strides in player safety over the last few years and something like this can completely undo it for everyone.