Delighted that my research article 'Female Olympians’ voices: Female sports categories and International Olympic Committee Transgender guidelines' is just published in the International Review for the Sociology of Sport:
I would like to thank nineteen female Olympic athletes for taking the time to generously contribute
to this research since without them this work would not have been possible.
'These Olympians agreed with the IOC’s overarching fairness principle but, in common with some ex-elite transwomen athletes, did not think evidence regarding
male advantage mitigation via testosterone suppression supports IOC 2015 transgender
guidelines.'
'Further, they did not accept fairness for females should be subordinated to inclusion for transwomen, and consequently regarded IOC guidelines as unfit for purpose.'
'Justice entails the recognition of females as equal moral agents, also and at the same time with distinctly
female sexed bodies, in order that the fastest highest and strongest females are celebrated at elite and Olympic levels.'
In the words of two athletes:
‘Our human rights to equal opportunities (are) not being protected’
‘Why don’t women matter?’
@iocmedia
The main findings include (1) these athletes thought both female and transgender athletes should be fairly included in elite sport, (2) unanimous agreement there is not enough scientific evidence to show no competitive advantage for transwomen...
...(3) unanimous agreement that the IOC should revisit the rules and scientific evidence for transgender inclusion in female categories, and (4) the majority of athletes felt that they could not ask questions or discuss this issue without being accused of transphobia.
I keep seeing claims there are only a few males with trans identities in female sport. This is false.
The US-based Women’s Sport Policy Working Group (WSPWG) recorded 578+ victories of males with trans identities in women’s sport in 9 months in 2024. 1/ womenssportspolicy.org/253-male-victo…
The citizen journalist website @shewon_org documented & verified that by January 2025 over 750 female athletes in more than 500 competitions have lost more than 1000 medals in 40 different sports to males with transgender identities in women’s sport. 2/ shewon.org
Whilst the citizen journalist website @hecheateddotorg recorded over 3500 ‘unfair victories’ and 5900 top three finishes in 11 200 events by males with transgender identities in women’s sport. 3/ hecheated.org/results
EO:
'Across the country, ideologues who deny the biological reality of sex have ... used legal and other socially coercive means to permit men to self-identify as women and gain access to intimate single-sex spaces and activities designed for women'. whitehouse.gov/presidential-a…
'Efforts to eradicate the biological reality of sex fundamentally attack women by depriving them of their dignity, safety, and well-being. The erasure of sex in language and policy has a corrosive impact not just on women but on the validity of the entire American system.'
'Basing Federal policy on truth is critical to scientific inquiry, public safety, morale, and trust in government itself.'
I've submitted my response to @EHRC Consultation on the new Code of Practice & fed back only on Chapter 13 given I have had children home from university for the last 3 weeks. Feedback must be completed by 5pm this afternoon. Please submit if you can: equalityhumanrights.com/equality/equal…
This paper aims to address Canadian Human Rights Law in relation to:
'Policies that Restrict the Participation of Transgender Women in Women's Sport Categories'.
Let's critique. 1/ cjhr.ca/bringing-canad…
1. The title:
This betrays the framing & focus from the get-go.
That is, to include males with transgender identities in female sport categories designed to exclude male advantage. 2/
2. The goal:
'to re-centre the Canadian discourse within a human rights legal lens'.
This is important.
Canada should be compliant with Canadian and international UN human rights treaties. 3/
Becky's had a look at the UN Report on Violence against Women & Girls in Sport.
Based on submissions from around the globe.
She doesn't like it.
She's into women's footy.
You'd think she'd welcome it.
But she's a fan of including transwomen in female sport.
Let's take a look. 1/
Becky doesn't like women collecting data about the numbers of girls and women who have lost positions, places, podiums, prize money to transwomen. So she has a go at the work they are doing to fill the vacuum left by journalists & academics who are missing in action. 2/
She doesn't like/misunderstands reference to 'the replacement of the female sports category with a mixed sex category'.
So she thinks it's a misquote to report numbers of female athletes defeated by transwomen.
But the female category becomes mixed sex if males are allowed in. 3/
Let's critique.
Lots of good stuff but I will unpack this claim:
'blanket prohibitions ... of all female transgender persons, and intrusive practices for women athletes with sex variations, are against current standards of human rights'. 1/ documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/…x.com/UN_SPExperts/s…
1. There are no blanket prohibitions of female transgender persons in international sport.
All trans persons are entitled to compete in their sex categories.
Females with trans IDs (if not supplementing with testosterone, in female sport) males with trans IDs in male sport. 2/
A note re language. The claim uses 'female transgender persons' to mean male persons with trans identities. This misuse of the language of biological sex is deliberate in order to position some males as females. Human right treaties must be & are based on clear terminology. 3/