'Levelling the playing field' womens football campaign for LGBT foundation

[GCburneraccount]

Link to an article in the Guardian about a Man City player launching a women's football campaign called 'levelling the playing field'.

I've read it a few times, its frustrating. The wording is vague, it isn't clear what they mean by the word 'woman', or what they will actually do.

The player fronting it is lesbian, this isn't explicitly mentioned. She says she wants to help women and the article says the foundation helps 'women get vital care, gives them a safe space and runs workshops around sexual health, domestic violence, sobriety and more' and mentions 'keeping football free of hate'. Sounds reasonable.
But she also says the supreme court ruling really hurt her politically and emotionally. So is this actually about men/boys who ID as women having to play on mens teams?

Theres things they could be doing that I would support: making football more welcoming for girls/women, dealing with abuse from fans, dealing with specific issues for lesbians, supporting women who identify as men/NB within the women's game (as long as they don't dope), having empathy for men who ID as women and direct the ones who wish to play to suitable mens teams?

Or is it really about getting men to play in womens football?

As it is I can't either support or slam this one - I've no idea what they actually want to do?

Oops, heres the link: www.theguardian.com/football/2025/oct/16/kerstin-casparij-moving-the-goalposts

This is really annoying - simultaneously claiming to support women and decrying a legal decision that reasserts women's rights is illogical.

Some lesbians who have a public profile seem to feel obliged to do the trans ally incantation - an Irish indie band which is 'openly LGBT' recently made a statement about how upset they were to see their 'trans friends' rights being taken away' .

This is nonsense of their trans friends are British, because the SC ruling didn't take any rights away, and arrant nonsense if their trans friends are Irish, as trans people in Ireland have rights up to and including self-ID.
And they link 'anti-trans' with 'right wing', of course.

It's depressing when you realise that high-profile lesbians are supporting a movement which would oblige them to accept men as lesbians.

Truly, it impacts negatively on everything it touches..

Yeah, I agree - annoying and frustrating. I think your reading of it is probably what it is, but as it doesn't explicitly say that, I don't feel comfortable slamming it without being sure.
But I also cant support it! Basically a waste of time and energy on all accounts.

Massively frustrating for anyone with any involvement in trying to make sport better for women.

It's the old Trojan Horse ploy. Propose something sensible and clearly 'a good thing', with very broad appeal, then hide your nefarious primary aim, deep in the equine innards!

See: Scottish Government and increasing the percentage of women on public boards. Hidden within was a proposed new legal definition of women including trans women. Once on the Statute Books it becomes so very easy to refer back to this established definition of 'women' when proposing much less appealing legislation in the future. We see you!

Kerstin Casparij and women's football in general is up to its eyes in gender woo. You would have thought they'd get it, being sports women, but no. They have bought the Gay Rights 2.0 bollocks.

Many of them are also fully behind the men masquerading as women in football. Either don't realise they're men or think it doesn't matter because of ladyfeelz.

She's a fantastic player, great personality, but clearly also thick as two short planks.

Depressingly the LGBT Foundation is a full-on believer that 'Trans Women Are Women' and is pro Self-ID. It is an ally of Stonewall.

It has a flagship campaign called 'This is What a Woman Looks Like' which is primarily a call for women to be trans allies, and to support TWAW in public:

https://lgbt.foundation/thisiswhatawomanlookslike/

On 30 October it is holding an online event "Navigating the EHRC's Statutory Guidance -supporting inclusion in a changing landscape."

https://lgbt.foundation/event/navigating-the-ehrcs-statutory-guidance/

In summary, the LGBT Foundation is all about the 'special women', not those boring menstruating/menopausal/possibly same-sex attracted ones.

In any case the FA has fallen in line with the law at last, so this campaign won't really get anywhere. Could result in some unpleasant situations for sub-elite and grassroots level players, though.
Above all, it's beyond frustrating to see women caping for men who want to exploit them.

I agree women who identify as men/NB should be allowed to play in the women’s game (as long as they’re not doping). But I hope it doesn’t harm women’s sport. Women’s football and rugby have had a great year winning the Euros and the World Cup. Public support is high but I think would fall if, for example, these sports were seen to be celebrating or encouraging voluntary mastectomies. Or thought to be encouraging girls to explore gender identity. Many players have popular social media accounts followed by young fans. I think sponsors would be wary too.

Thanks for sharing @GCburneraccount I find that I now have this double take at every initiative/charity/group aimed at or for women. This looks great, but is it really? Thinking of introducing a ‘but we are gender woo lunatics really’ box to be ticked so that potential GC supporters can scroll on by and not waste headspace on them.

Ach its so annoying. Womens football is brilliant for normal and positive representation of the L, and sporty women in general. Such a shame that many orgs that should make something of that have been sidetracked by the TQ+.

I do have sympathy for sportspeople caught up in this. Most have limited experience of life but are expected to talk with wisdom on a wide range of issues. Careers are short and precarious. They are often badly advised. They have to do odd or undignified things to keep sponsors happy. Compromising your values is necessary to keep a career.

If genderwoo is the orthodoxy then players will say what they need to and hope the consequences never affect them.

No idea what the case is for this athlete, but she wouldn't be the first to be the face of something she doesn't know much about and cant easily say no to.

She said: It is trans women who are affected by the supreme court’s decision but it is an attack on women as a whole.

How is keeping female safe spaces for the use of biological women only an attack on women as a whole? It makes no sense.