Twitter #Censorship just removed my thread on rugby & allowing males to play against women, so let’s try again: On the subject of women’s sports. I started playing rugby at 4. Touch rugby for the little uns. I’m Welsh. Boys (in particular) are raised on it. I played all 1/
through school & then for the British Army. For two years I wore a tracksuit & travelled the Commonwealth playing my favourite game with the best of the regiment against the best of other military regiments. Rule Britannia! And all that. We had a blast. But make no mistake 2/
when men play rugby we play to win. We play to dominate our opponents on the pitch. Every one of us is competitive. Rugby is an aggressive & often violent sport. It’s not called a contact sport because we pat each other on the back & peck kisses on each other “cheek to cheek” 3/
when we score a try. It’s brutal. We go head to head, shoulder to shoulder, body against body with all of our strength, speed & weight & there’s no holding back so’s not to cause injuries. If you hold back, you’re likely to get injured. We want possession of that oval ball & 4/
and we ruck, tackle & scrum with all of our mite to get/keep it & drive/run or kick it across that try line. There’s the game & there’s the rules of the game. They’re there to protect us, as well as set out the structure of the game. One of those common sense rules is sex 5/
segregation. We don’t play rugby against women. It’s a no brainer. Men don’t play rugby against teen boys/children. Again a no brainer. I’ve fractured my skull, had concussions, broken my collar bone and bled and had whiplash more times than I can remember. Im a former 6ft 2” 6/
245 pound #8. I was an average sized #8. I’ve no doubt in my mind I could seriously injure/even kill a 50-60 pound lighter than me woman player if I tackled her at full pelt. I wouldn’t ever consider doing it. But let’s just imagine that at 25-30 I identified as trans 7/
& decided to take cross sex hormones & lowered my testosterone level to within an IOC deemed acceptable limit. Why would anyone think that as a male who has gone through full puberty that lowering my testosterone level would change my skeleton size/structure/weight/density 8/
my muscle mass, the size of my heart & lungs & the fact that (& this is the zinger) I’ve always played rugby against boys & men? I’ve been socialised with boys & men: The rough & tumble, the aggression, the dominance, the drive, the competitiveness/rivalry, the propensity to 9/
violent & most of all I’ve been conditioned to throw everything I’ve got into going up against men a similar height & weight as me in a ruck/tackle/scrum or line out. I already pointed out, we don’t hold back in rugby. Would I hold back because I’m playing against women, as a 10/
transwoman? If I tackle a woman and hit her so hard her spine snaps when we hit the ground, are there really that many people out there who think it’s ok, that it’s worth risking women’s lives for so my feelings don’t get hurt? Why are we allowing a minority of males to cheat 11/
their way into women’s sports so they can dominate and steam roller over them this way?
Why is it so hard to believe that there are men out there who’d self ID as trans for the opportunity to beat the crap out of women in a contact sport? In a world where over 99% of 12/
Why is it so hard to believe that there are men out there who’d self ID as trans for the opportunity to beat the crap out of women in a contact sport? In a world where over 99% of 12/
violence is perpetrated by males against males and females if you think there are no males out there self identifying their way into women & girls sports for nefarious purposes then you’re either stupid or you hate women. I can’t understand why @WorldRugby had to get into a 13/
fight over this in the first place. Who thought it was a good idea to ever let males into women’s sports, let alone rugby? Why does it have to take 80 peer reviewed scientific research papers to state/prove the obvious: that male humans who’ve gone through puberty are 14/
stronger, fitter, faster, bigger & heavier on average than women, no matter how they identify? And that given the opportunity some males will (for reasons I think are pretty obvious) take advantage of the opportunity to get physical, down and dirty and aggressive with women. 15/
So come on fellas! Where are you? Wake up and speak up! #SaveWomensSports #SexNotGender #SexMatters #Safeguarding #women #ThisIsNotADrill #IStandWithJKRowling End/
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