Rating: Transneutral, Forbes, July 25, 2023 (PDF archive) (HTML archive)
Content Summary
Swimming Announces ‘Open’ Category For Transgender Athletes—Here Are The Other Major Sports With Restrictions Or Bans
Topline
World Aquatics—the international governing body for swimming—announced Tuesday it will start an “Open” category that includes all transgender athletes, after the body joined several other sports organizations and issued restrictions on transgender women last year.
Timeline
World Aquatics announced it will establish an “Open” category for swimming events, allowing competitors whose gender differs from their birth sex to participate, after the body announced last year it would prohibit any transgender woman who went through male puberty or had gender-reassignment surgery after the age of 12 from competing in female events.
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)—the governing body for cycling—announced transgender women that “transitioned after (male) puberty” would no longer be able to participate in women’s events in an effort to “ensure equal opportunities,” though President David Lappartient said the sport was “open to everyone, including transgender people.”
World Athletics issued restrictions on most transgender women in women’s track and field events, prohibiting any athlete that records a testosterone level above 2.5 nanomoles per liter for at least two years from competing.
The British Triathlon Federation—which noted transgender women retain “physiology advantages”—announced it would hold a separate “Open” competition for triathlon competitors born male, including transgender and nonbinary people.
The International Rugby League issued a ban on transgender women from competing in sanctioned women’s rugby matches, adding it believes “there is a requirement and responsibility to further consult and complete additional research” before allowing transgender athletes to compete.
Crucial Quote
World Aquatics president Husain Al-Musallam said Tuesday he wanted swimming to “be open to everybody,” adding, “It was very important that we protected fair competition for our female athletes.”
Surprising Fact
All of these policies specifically restrict transgender women from competition, and not transgender men.
Chief Critic
Hudson Taylor, founder and executive director of the LGBTQ+ sports group Athlete Ally, said World Athletics was “succumbing to political pressure instead of core principles of inclusion, fairness and non-discrimination.” The group also criticized World Aquatics, suggesting swimming’s governing body was policing “the bodies of all women,” while calling their restrictions “deeply discriminatory, harmful, unscientific.”
Contra
Martina Navratilova, a former top tennis player and famous LGBTQ+ advocate, supported restrictions on transgender women, saying the world had gone “topsy turvy.” She has argued, along with many medical experts, that biological men who have gone through puberty have an undeniable physical advantage. Nancy Hogshead, a former Olympic gold medalist in swimming, said she hopes other sports enact restrictions.
What To Watch For
FIFA announced last year it would review its policy on transgender women from participating in the upcoming women’s World Cup, though it has yet to announce any changes. Some officials indicated in January that the body would allow transgender athletes to compete.
Key Background
Restrictions for cycling events follow Austin Killips—a transgender woman—winning the women’s Tour of the Gila in April, becoming the first transgender cyclist to win an event. Killips’ victory prompted criticism from former Olympian Inga Thompson, who said allowing Killips to compete was “effectively killing off women’s cycling.” The UCI initially supported Killips, indicating it acknowledged “transgender athletes may wish to compete in accordance with their gender identity.” Restrictions for transgender women in swimming followed criticism of University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who became the first trans woman to win the NCAA swimming championship in the 500-yard freestyle.
Tangent
Over 20 states have approved legislation targeting transgender girls and women athletes, as a discussion about transgender athletes in school sports has intensified in recent years. Some Republicans—including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—have promoted transgender sports participation as a culture war talking point. DeSantis previously claimed allowing transgender girls and women to participate in school sports was an effort “to destroy women’s athletics.” North Carolina State Sen. Vickie Sawyer said a state bill prohibiting transgender girls and women from participating in sports supported “telling everyone that women’s sports are for women.” Earlier this year, the Biden Administration proposed regulations to prevent future state bans, though they included a loophole allowing school teams to develop their own policies.
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