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Finding a balance in the transgender sport debate With sport’s governing bodies at loggerheads about transgender participation, Tracey Holmes believes that Australia can take the lead
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wimming’s blanket ban on transgender women competing in international women’s events is the polar opposite of the International Olympic Committee’s framework suggesting inclusion first and review on a case-by-case basis. Sport’s governing bodies now feel pressured into picking sides in what has become a culture war, although experts warn that Australian anti-discrimination policies would prevent such blanket bans from being adopted here. The announcement by world aquatic sports governing body, FINA, of its “inclusionary policy” in the middle of June has left some describing it as “exclusionary”. The policy allegedly cost the organisation $US1 million to research and was reportedly designed to withstand any legal or human rights challenge. Delegates at the Extraordinary Congress being staged on the sidelines of the World Championships in Budapest did not get to see the 24-page document until 14 minutes before they were asked to vote on it. Just over 71% of the 274 delegates voted in favour of the policy, 15% voted against, while just over 13% abstained. The policy will only allow transgender women to compete in international competition if they transition before experiencing “any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 or before age 12”. According to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), that requirement is “unethical”. Dr Jamison Green, the Chair 22 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 150
of WPATH’s ethics committee and a former President of the organisation, explains “where (FINA’s) current policy sits is outside the field of practice. “People don’t transition medically before they are 12, that just doesn’t happen. That would be unethical.” Lia Thomas’ win at intercollegiate swim titles puts spotlight on policy Despite being established more than 40 years ago with a mission to help devise evidence-based public policy, only two sporting bodies have sought WPATH’s advice - the National Collegiate Athletic Association in America (NCAA) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). FINA’s policy was handed down after the focus on NCAA swimmer Lia Thomas, who in March became the first transgender woman to win a title at the intercollegiate championships. Her winning time for the 500 yards freestyle was more than nine seconds behind the record, and her times in other distances would not currently qualify her for the Olympics or World Championships. Dr Green noted “the federations that have issued their regulations that are exclusionary at this point are failing, and I think they are going to have to revise those regulations at some point and I hope it’s soon because this is really harming generations of people. “This filters down and young children are the ones who are going to suffer from this exclusion. “They won’t be able to be part of their community, they won’t be able to share experiences with their peers, they won’t be able to learn the skills that are needed to survive, and it’s not just who’s the strongest and the fittest, it’s about how do we get along. “That’s one of the things sport teaches us, and it’s very, very important to humanity.”
