Suddenly the media is waking up to the problem that trans inclusion is not so inclusive after all. Letting trans-identifying males into female sport means females lose out, in many ways. It’s not just the one who loses a place, as we’ve explained here.
Now is a good time for anyone who plays a sport, or with family members who play, to email your sport’s national governing body and ask them what they are doing to restore fairness for females. The Sports Council Equality Group (SCEG) published a report and new guidance in September 2021, and now many national governing bodies (NGBs) are reviewing their trans inclusion policies. They need to know that people in their sport support keeping the female category for those born female, and that they should find other ways to ensure trans inclusion which are not at the expense of women and girls.
They should all know about the SCEG guidance so it can be a short email. Send it to the head of governance or the chief executive and ask for it to be shared with the board (anonymously if you prefer).
If you don’t tell them what you think, they won’t know!
DRAFT EMAIL – please customise to suit your sport and your involvement
CONCERNS ABOUT WOMEN’S AND GIRLS’ SPORT
Dear board members
[Briefly describe your involvement in the sport]
I am concerned about the negative impact on females in our sport from transgender inclusion. This is off-putting, unfair, and potentially harmful, for women and girls, and it leads to female exclusion.
This may seem like a matter of just a few trans-identifying people, but just one trans-identifying male has an impact on many females, who may be deterred for reasons of privacy or because it is just not fun or not fair any more.
The Sports Council Equality Group conducted a comprehensive review of this issue, published in September 2021 on their website equalityinsport.org along with new guidance. They concluded that it is not possible to maintain fairness and safety in sport for females if trans-identifying males are also allowed into female categories. The framework is there to protect female sport and the Equality Act allows it. The largest sports by participation levels – athletics, swimming, cycling – have all responded by protecting the female category. Please can you tell me how the board is responding to this guidance?
yours