#World Athletics Council Bans Transgender Athletes from Women's Sports

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

by Jennifer Lee | The World Athletics Council (WAC) has announced new rules on the participation of transgender athletes. Under the changes unveiled on Thursday, trans-identifying biologically male athletes will no longer be able to compete in the female category in international athletic events...

[coochiequeens]

A lot of lefties blasting RayGun for taking a spot at the Olympics instead of someone who could actually breakdance didn't say shit when this guy took the spot instead of a WOC and then made cutesy hand signals after bombing out.

Laurel Hubbard has made history by becoming the first openly transgender athlete to compete in an individual event at the Summer Olympics. The New Zealand weightlifter did not make the podium, after failing to advance to the final.

Competing in the 87+kg class on Monday, Hubbard struggled to lift 125 kg (275 pounds), putting her out of the running. Her official result is "did not finish," as she bowed out after failing to record a clean lift in the snatch section of the two-part competition.

Hubbard had seemed to successfully lift the weight in her second of three attempts, but in a split decision, the judges ruled she had not held the bar steady above her head.

Despite not reaching the final round, Hubbard smiled and cupped her hands together in a heart gesture before walking off the stage at the Tokyo International Forum.

"My performance wasn't what I had hoped, but I'm humbled by the support I've received from so many people around New Zealand," she said, adding, "I am aware that my participation has been controversial."

"Thank you to the IOC for living up to the Olympic values and showing that sport is for all and that weightlifting can be done by all types of people," Hubbard said.

In her emotional farewell, Hubbard also thanked Japan for hosting the Games, according to her country's Olympic committee.

Trans athletes have reached new heights in Tokyo

Hubbard joins Canada's Quinn, a midfielder on the country's national soccer team who is transgender and nonbinary, in reaching new heights for trans athletes at the Tokyo Games. Quinn, a veteran of the women's team who came out last year and uses one name, recently became the first openly trans person to compete in an Olympics.

Hubbard made headlines when the International Olympic Committee cleared her to compete — a decision that has sparked both support and criticism. For her part, Hubbard has welcomed the chance to compete on the world stage while also showing her true self.

"I commend the IOC for its commitment to making sport inclusive and accessible," she said on Friday. After Monday's loss, Hubbard also thanked the International Weightlifting Federation.

"They have been extraordinarily supportive," she said. "I think that they, too, have shown that weightlifting is an activity that's open to all the people of the world."

She took 15 years off from lifting

When she was in her 20s, Hubbard was a rising star in men's weightlifting, but she quit the sport, she recently said, after struggling with "the pressure of trying to fit into a world that perhaps wasn't really set up for people like myself."

She began transitioning in 2012 — and after a hiatus of more than 15 years, she started working toward a return to competitive weightlifting.

Hubbard, 43, is 10 years older than any other athlete who was in her Group A heat at Monday's competition.

The gold was won by China's Li Wenwen, the world-record holder in the event. Team USA's Sarah Robles won bronze. It's the second bronze for Robles, who in 2016 broke a long Olympic drought for U.S. weightlifting.

"Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele's anger was palpable after Hubbard claimed gold at the Pacific Games over Samoa's Feagaiga Stowers, who took home silver.

"This fa'afafine [a Samoan third gender] or man should have never been allowed by the Pacific Games Council president to lift with the women," Mr Tuilaepa told the Samoa Observer."

In case anyone whinesxabout TIMs bring oppressed this Hubbards father, a successful businessman and politian

[justinssportscorner]

Karleigh Webb at Outsports:

A group of 16 female student-athletes filed a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia Thursday in regards to the NCAA’s transgender student-athlete inclusion policies and regulations. The suit seeks a total ban of transgender women in all NCAA sports, and also demands that all titles and positions won by transgender women are retroactively revoked. The suit was organized by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, who also have ties to a number of conservative anti-trans organizations. At the top of list of athletes who are part of the suit is former University of Kentucky swimmer-turned anti-trans activist Riley Gaines.

Since tying for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle event with former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas at the NCAA Division I Swimming Championships in 2022, Gaines has become a face of this issue. Thomas, who became first transgender woman student-athlete to win an individual NCAA Division I title during those championships, has been the centerpiece of opposing concerns about the NCAA policy. The filing itself mirrored several of Gaines’ speeches, and some of the accusations she has personally made against Lia Thomas over the last two years. “The NCAA imposed a radical anti-woman agenda on college sports,” the filing states. “Reinterpreting Title IX to define women as a testosterone level, permitting men to compete on women’s teams, and destroying female safe spaces in women’s locker rooms.” [...]

Plaintiffs include various college student-athletes

Other plaintiffs in the suit include former Virginia Tech swimmer Réka György. She was 17th in the 500-yard freestyle event at the 2022 NCAA Championships. She claims that Lia Thomas, who won the national championship in that same event, unfairly kept her out of the consolation final. “That final spot was taken away from me because of the NCAA’s decision to let someone who is not a biological female compete,” György stated in a letter to the NCAA in March 2022 that was reprinted in the filing, “It hurts me, my team and other women in the pool.”

A group of 6 swimmers from Roanoke College (Va.) also signed on. Prior to the start of the 2023-2024 season, a number of members of their team staged a public demonstration, with Gaines in attendance, after a prospective trans women student-athlete petitioned join the team. The student withdrew their request prior to the demonstration. The NCAA hasn’t responded publicly, but this lawsuit comes with further changes in the NCAA policy ahead. In the 2024-2025 academic year, each NCAA sport will cede to the policies set by either their respective national or world governing bodies to decide the eligibility of transgender women. In the cases of swimming and track and field, transgender women will be banned from competition in women’s NCAA sports because that is the policies of World Aquatics and World Athletics.

16 female NCAA athletes, including Riley Gaines, Kaitlynn Wheeler, Réka György, and Ainsley Erzen, filed a class action lawsuit against the NCAA to demand a total ban on trans women in NCAA sports and retroactive revocation of all titles and positions obtained by trans women in NCAA competitions.

The Gaines v. NCAA suit is being organized by anti-trans inclusion group Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), and the suit erroneously claims trans-inclusive policies violate Title IX. The Gaines v. NCAA lawsuit is nothing more than a transphobic temper tantrum by Mrs. 5th Place Crybaby.

See Also:

Sportico: NCAA TRANS POLICY, TITLE IX SUIT MAY HINDER CONGRESS ON NIL

[tytclin]

Big news from World Athletics, which affect the 2024 Olympics.

"World Athletics has banned transgender women from competing in elite female competitions if they have gone through male puberty, the sport's governing body said on Thursday.

The council also voted to tighten restrictions on athletes with Differences in Sex Development (DSD), cutting the maximum amount of plasma testosterone for athletes in half, to 2.5 nanomoles per litre from five."

[mintincense]

World Athletics puts limit on testosterone in female athletes' blood

as you may have already heard, the World Athletics Council has issued new guidelines where female athletes' testosterone must be below a certain margin for them to be able to compete.

the statement explicitly mentions that this was done in the efforts to ban trans women "who have been through male puberty" from competing.

however, as the statement said "there are currently no transgender athletes competing internationally in athletics". so, despite the media's framing, this ban seems to affect cis women who are/may be intersex much more, at present, than trans women.

athletes such as Caster Semenya, Christine Mboma and Francine Niyonsaba, who are cis women that are intersex, have previously ran into issues with similar guidelines, as their naturally elevated testosterone levels have been framed as an "unfair" advantage.

it seems that natural advantages, such as height or producing less lactic acid than most, are okay or even celebrated as long as you're white (and/or a man).

sources/futher reading:

World Athletics Council decides on Russia, Belarus and female eligibility

World Athletics bans trans women from female sports

Namibian medallist Christine Mboma reopens athletics 'intersex' debate

“I am a woman and I am fast”: what Caster Semenya’s story says about gender and race in sports

We celebrated Michael Phelps’s genetic differences. Why punish Caster Semenya for hers?

[fuckyeahilike]

Oh thank God

BREAKING: World Athletics bans transgender women from female events

Lord Coe told a news conference in Monaco: "The council has agreed to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes, who have been through male puberty, from female world ranking competitions from 31 March.

"In January, World Athletics said it was consulting with member federations on a proposal to change the rules on participation of transgender women in female competitions.

"The issue is thorny as sports try to strike a balance between inclusivity and making sure there is no unfair advantage."

Speaking to Sky News' Mark Austin, Lord Coe said the decision was made in the "best interest of our sport".

"It was a decision based on a very important and fundamental principle and that is, as an International Federation that has a vibrant female element in our sport, it was absolutely vital that we protected the female category."

Transgender athletes competing at elite level would "compromise the integrity of female competition", he added.

When asked how he would respond if a transgender athlete said the decision was unfair, Lord Coe told Sky News: "We don't have any transgender athletes in international competition, that day may come.

"But until we understand a great deal more about the science around this, which we don't, we have to fall back on a fundamental principle and that is that we are here charged with the responsibility of defending the female category, and that is what we have done."

The decision was welcomed by Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, who tweeted that the rules around the female category should be extended to cover those competing at school level too.

But LGBT campaign group Stonewall described the decision as "disappointing" - and criticised World Athletics for "closing the door" on trans people competing at an international level.

Lord Coe said the decision was open to being challenged and was not "written in stone" - but vowed World Athletics would to "vigorously defend" its position.

He earlier told the news conference a "working group" taskforce will be established in order to do further research on transgender eligibility guidelines, including an independent chair and transgender athletes.

Its remit will be to "consult specifically with transgender athletes to seek views on competing in athletics" - in the hope of reviewing and potentially commissioning additional research.

The decision to exclude transgender women was made after a consultation with a number of stakeholders including 40 member federations, athletes and coaches, together with community groups including trans organisations, UN experts, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Para Athletics, Lord Coe said.

"The majority of those consulted stated that transgender athletes should not be competing in the female category," he said.

"Many believe there is insufficient evidence that trans women do not retain advantage over biological women, and want more evidence that any physical advantages have been ameliorated before they are willing to consider an option for inclusion into the female category."

Differences in sex development athletes

The new rules will also impact athletes with differences in sex development (DSD) - a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs, which means a person's sex development is different to others.

Some young people and adults prefer to use the term "intersex", according to the NHS website.

Athletes with DSD include two-times Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya; 2020 200m Olympic silver medallist Christine Mboma; and Francine Niyonsaba, who finished runner-up to Semenya in the 800m race at the 2016 Olympics.

The maximum amount of plasma testosterone for DSD athletes will be cut in half, Lord Coe told the conference.

The announcement comes after British Athletics called for transgender women to compete with men in an "open category" in February.

The "open" category would replace the current male category, the governing body says - as it demands a law change to preserve women's events for those who were female at birth.

Swimming's world governing body, FINA, voted to effectively ban transgender athletes from competing in women's elite races and explore setting up an "open" category in June last year.

[sa7abnews]

Athletics bosses set to rule on trans participation changes

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/13/athletics-bosses-set-to-rule-on-trans-participation-changes/

Athletics bosses set to rule on trans participation changes

Officials are due to make a decision in March regarding entry to competitions for transgender athletes

International track and field governing body World Athletics is set to rule in March on changes which could tighten the requirements for participation by transgender athletes but still allow a route for them to compete, according to reports. UK newspaper The Telegraph has reported that a “preferred option” has been proposed under which the amount of plasma testosterone for transgender female competitors would be capped at 2.5 nanomoles per liter, which is exactly half the current limit. However, the amount of time an athlete would need to remain below that level would be increased to two years – double the current requirement.      “Putting forward a preferred option is the best way to gather constructive feedback, but this does not mean this is the option that will be presented to [World Athletics] Council or indeed adopted,” the organization said in a statement.

Read more

Olympic chief backs trans participation, but not Russian

It was reported by The Guardian, which says it has seen a consultation document, that World Athletics accepts that athletes who have transitioned from male to female “retain an advantage in muscle mass, volume and strength over cis women after 12 months [of hormone treatment]” and that “limited experimental data” suggests advantages continue even after that period. In July of last year, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe hinted at a more stringent stance, saying he was “really over having any more of these discussions with second-rate sociologists who sit there trying to tell me or the science community that there may be some issue.” “Testosterone is the key determinant in performance,” added Coe, who has vowed to protect “the integrity and future of women’s sport.”

READ MORE: Do new transgender restrictions signal rethink for sport?

Last year, international swimming governing body World Aquatics (formerly FINA) said it was banning trans participation in women’s events for athletes who have completed any part of male puberty, instead promising to create a new ‘open’ category. Federations in sports such as rugby have also imposed more stringent measures. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has promoted inclusivity while widely being seen as passing the buck to individual sporting federations to rule on the matter. The issue of trans participation in female sport remains a contentious one, not least after athletes such as trans US college swimmer Lia Thomas broke a series of records with her performances for the University of Pennsylvania in 2021 and 2022.

[apsny-news]

Trans women banned from female athletic competitions — Apsny News

The World Athletics Council says it will continue to “maintain fairness” for women in sports Transgender people will no longer be able to compete in female sports competitions, the World Athletics Council has ruled. From April on, any athlete who has been through male puberty will not be allowed to compete in women’s track and field events, regardless of their current hormonal levels.  “The…

[dipulb3]

Looking to 2024, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gets caught in GOP culture war over transgender athletes

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/looking-to-2024-south-dakota-gov-kristi-noem-gets-caught-in-gop-culture-war-over-transgender-athletes/

Looking to 2024, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gets caught in GOP culture war over transgender athletes

After saying earlier this month she was “excited” to sign a bill preventing transgender ​students from competing in ​same-gender sports, Noem effectively killed the legislation last week that had been passed by Republican majorities in the state House and Senate — citing concerns the bill as-is would invite lawsuits.

On ​Monday, however, she followed up by issuing two executive orders that implemented a ban on people assigned ​male on their ​original birth certificates from participating in women’s sports in public high schools and colleges. That predictably sparked opposition from ​trans rights advocates who say the orders are unconstitutional and discriminatory because they reference the supposed harms of the participation of “males” in women’s athletics — an echo of the transphobic claim that transgender women are not women.

But the move also prompted criticism from conservatives, who claim the executive orders are unenforceable and toothless.

Noem’s action is the latest in a growing trend among Republican-leaning states, where GOP politicians are embracing laws and executive orders to limit the participation of transgender students in school-sponsored sports. In recent weeks, Republican governors in Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee have all signed similar bills into law. There are dozens of other bills proposed by Republican lawmakers in states across the country. The subject has been discussed frequently in conservative media and featured prominently at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference.

All of that suggests Republicans have found a new way to drum up support in their base by challenging the rights of a minority group. It’s the latest front in their ongoing culture war, one that puts them in the familiar position of having to choose between social conservatives and the business community. It indicates the challenge Republicans have in balancing the cultural concerns of the party’s base with assembling a winning national coalition.

It also recalls the fight in 2016 over North Carolina’s so-called bathroom law that people at a government-run facility must use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to the ​sex on their birth certificate. ​In practice, the law meant that many transgender and nonbinary people were unable to use a restroom in government buildings, and felt unsafe to do so elsewhere in public. The law was enacted by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and sparked an immediate backlash in the form of economic boycotts and saw the relocation of two major sporting events — the NBA All-Star Game and part of the NCAA basketball tournament — out of the state. McCrory lost his bid for reelection later that year.

Some social conservatives say that in rejecting the original bill, Noem bowed to pressure from the business community and the fear of lawsuits ​– a fear Noem herself cited in her statement at the time. Business groups like the Sioux Falls Greater Chamber of Commerce, for instance, were opposed to the original bill.

“The chamber’s long-term policy is to not pass laws that are discriminatory in nature that would affect our economy,” said Debra Owen, the Sioux Falls chamber’s public policy director.

And Noem herself expressed concern the bill as worded would put college programs out of compliance with collegiate athletics governing bodies. Six colleges and universities in South Dakota belong to the NCAA, the largest such governing body.

Social conservatives were not convinced.

“What we saw play out in South Dakota is the divide within the Republican party, and the divide is between the elites … and the voters,” said Terry Schilling, the executive director of the American Principles Project. “Noem ultimately capitulated to the chambers of commerce, the NCAA, and gave them what they’re wanting.”

Noem has insisted the executive orders are temporary and has called the legislature to hold a special session to draft a new bill that addresses her concerns.

“She’s still vocally supportive of the issue, and is still excited to sign a bill” achieving the same result, said Ian Fury, a spokesman for the governor​.

Bubbling up at CPAC

Noem herself appeared poised to handle the ​competing constituencies effectively.

As the breakout star at CPAC, she touted her strident resistance to mask mandates and shutdown orders in South Dakota, even as ​her state has seen one of the highest per capita death rates from Covid-19, and governors across the country did otherwise during the pandemic. Unlike many potential presidential candidates who spoke there, Noem articulated a broad definition of what the party’s principles should be.

“We must more closely articulate to the American people that we are the only ones who respect them as human beings,” Noem said. “That we are the only ones who believe the American people have God-given rights. We are not here to tell you how to live your life, how to treat you like a child or criminal because you go to church or you defend yourself.”

But ​trans rights issues were already surfacing at CPAC. One panel focused on the perceived problems of allowing transgender ​girls to compete in girls’ school athletics, and multiple speakers criticized the Equality Act, passed by the House of Representatives earlier this month, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections against discrimination over sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.

And CPAC’s headline speaker, former President Donald Trump, asserted President Joe Biden was seeking to “destroy women’s sports.”

“We must protect the integrity of women’s sports. So important. Have to,” Trump said.

Focusing on children

Republicans have raised related topics in Congress, including at the recent confirmation hearing for Dr. Rachel Levine, Biden’s nominee for assistant health secretary and the first Senate-confirmed out transgender federal official. In a line of questioning criticized as transphobic, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky ​equated life-affirming medical treatments for trans kids with “genital mutilation.”

Meanwhile, a number of social conservative groups have taken up the issue of fighting against transgender rights and are focusing on issues involving children. Among them is the Family Research Council, which has lobbied on behalf of what it calls a “biblical worldview” and in opposition to what it refers to as a “gender ideology” that promotes transgender rights.

“There are a number of manifestations of this worldview and this idea which we see as harmful, many see as harmful,” said Travis Weber, the vice president for policy and government affairs at the Family Research Council. “I think many are saying, look, this needs to be addressed in our communities, in our states.”

Weber says the FRC has identified more than 90 pieces of legislation in states across the country to limit participation of transgender women in girls’ school sports or to ban gender transition procedures for minors.

The Human Rights Campaign is also tracking bills and counts 48 anti-transgender sports bills in 26 states.

But advocates for transgender people say the actions of Republicans in state legislatures are alarming​, and risks bringing real harm to the lives of kids who are already at risk.

“As trans people, we still very much live in a world where our existence is an act of resistance and our visibility is an act of bravery,” said Carrie Davis, the chief community officer at The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth.

“In the face of such constant, vitriolic rhetoric and a record number of anti-trans bills, it is crucial to show up and show support for transgender and nonbinary youth year-round,” she added.

While it’s unclear if the South Dakota legislature would actually take another look at the legislation in a special session this year, Noem continues to insist she’d support a ban under the right conditions.

“Governor Noem has been engaged in this very fight for years,” said Fury. “But we have to pursue this fight in a smart way, with the same type of strategic approach​” used by activists who oppose abortion rights.

Schilling, however, said it’s disappointing Noem cast her lot with what he characterized as the business wing of the GOP.

“The business elites have been so entrenched in the Republican party forever,” Schilling said. “They don’t like these cultural fights.”

[freenewstoday]

New Post has been published on https://freenews.today/2021/03/08/south-dakota-passes-bill-banning-biological-males-from-participating-in-female-sports-to-mark-womens-day/

South Dakota passes bill banning biological males from participating in female sports to mark Women’s Day

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem vowed to sign the legislation that will ban biological males from competing in female sports, following other Republican-controlled states in sending a message on gender politics.

“We’re celebrating International Women’s Day by defending women’s sports,” Noem said Monday on Twitter, minutes after the South Dakota Senate passed the state’s Women’s Fairness in Sports legislation. “I’m excited to sign this bill very soon.”

South Dakota’s bill was passed after Mississippi lawmakers approved similar legislation last week. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said on Thursday that he would sign the bill, making it law. Idaho last year became the first US state to enact a law barring transgender females from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, but a federal court ruling has held up implementation.

READ MORE: Mississippi’s ban on trans athletes competing in sports is a step in the right direction to stop kids’ gender being weaponized

South Dakota and Mississippi were among about two-dozen states that had such legislation pending this year. The bills are advertised as protecting girls and women from unfairly having to compete with biological males. Among other concerns, parents have raised fears that biological males with physical advantages over girls could stand in the way of their daughters winning college athletic scholarships. The legislation also reflects efforts by Republicans to push back against Democrats on transgender politics, including President Joe Biden’s Inauguration Day executive order expanding LGBTQ discrimination protections. The order condemned denying children “access to the restroom, the locker room or school sports.”

The political divide was evident on Monday. While Noem, a rising star among conservative Republicans, was touting a bill banning transgender females from female sports, Biden marked International Women’s Day by creating a White House Gender Policy Council and announcing that two female generals would head US combat commands.

Before it was passed on Monday, the bill ran into unlikely opposition from some members of the Republican-dominated legislature. Republican Senator V.J. Smith argued the passage of the bill would be tantamount to a “political statement,” that is bound to be challenged in a federal court.

Opponents of the bill have argued that it’s discriminatory and purports to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. While there believed to be no transgender females playing in any high schools sports league in the state, instances of transgender females dominating women’s sports have grabbed headlines in the recent years.

For instance, two transgender girls dominated Connecticut high school sprinting championships, leading to lawsuits filed last year by the families of female competitors who said they were deprived of track titles and scholarship opportunities.

In 2018, Rachel McKinnon, a Canadian transgender woman, became a world cycling champion in the 35-44 age bracket, drawing complaints of unfairness from some competitors. McKinnon defended her title the next year, attracting more attention to the cause.

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[coochiequeens]

Two more cases for SheWon

ByReduxx Team August 20, 2023

Two trans-identified male cyclists took the top spots at events in Washington and Switzerland this week, with one beating out two teenage girls, and the other depriving his competitors of $550 cash prize.

This Saturday, in Switzerland’s largest city of Zürich, Kiana Gysin took first place at the women’s fixed gear racing final as part of the Zuricrit event that was being held in the middle of the city.

Gysin, a biological male who identifies as a woman, had also seized first place in the women’s heat event.

Gysin, who was awarded prize money totalling 500 Swiss Francs, equal to $566.86 USD, edged out the second placed American Dani Morsehead, by beating out her best lap time by a single second, according to the official race results. As a result of Gysin’s participation, Morsehead received the second prize of 300 Francs, equal to $340.58 USD.

Despite his participation, Swiss national paper Tages-Anzeiger boasted that the race had attracted international talent, “and more female riders than ever before.”

The day prior in Richmond, Washington, another male cyclist took home a women’s title — beating out two teenage girls to become the 1/2/3 Women’s Northwest Elimination Champion at the Jerry Baker Velodrome.

Amazon software engineer Claire Law, 35, defeated a number of junior female racers on Friday, August 20, at the women’s elimination race. An elimination race involves the last-placed rider who crosses the finish line each lap dropping out, until only one person is left.

In a livestream of the event, Law was seen crushing his teenaged opponents.

As the third place rider Lucy Dorer, 15, was eliminated, second place rider Lucy Scoville, aged 17 can be seen completely dropping back for the last lap, and not even bothering to compete with Law, who sailed ahead to what appeared to be an easy victory.

“Law is just such in overall strong form, that the contest won’t be there,” the commentator noted during the competition.

The Independent Council on Women’s Sports, a network of women athletes who advocate for female protected categories in sports, noted that Law has “appeared on women’s podiums consistently for years and joins over 50 men competing in women’s cycling in recent years.”

In July, the world governing body for cycling, UCI, banned transgender athletes from participating in any of their events if they had gone through male puberty. UCI determined that the previous barrier, restricting testosterone levels, was not “sufficient to completely eliminate the benefits of testosterone during puberty in men,” their statement noted.

“Given the current state of scientific knowledge, it is also impossible to rule out the possibility that biomechanical factors such as the shape and arrangement of the bones in their limbs may constitute a lasting advantage for female transgender athletes,” the statement read.

David Lappartient, the president of UCI, said that the governing body had a “duty to guarantee, above all, equal opportunities” for all competitors in cycling competitions.

“It is this imperative that led the UCI to conclude that, given the current state of scientific knowledge does not guarantee such equality of opportunity between transgender female athletes and cisgender female participants, it was not possible, as a precautionary measure, to authorize the former to race in the female categories,” he explained.

British Cycling had introduced their own policy two months prior, creating an “open” third category where anyone of any gender identity and sex would be allowed to compete. The female category would be restricted only to biological women, including those who identified as transgender, but who had yet to undertake hormone therapy.

As the Independent Council on Women’s Sports noted, USA Cycling had not adopted these new stricter policies that prevented biological males from competing with and beating women and girls, which permitted Law to take the championship on Friday.

Gysin, who also became the fixed gear bicycle female world champion in June, had in fact protested against the UCI’s decision as part of FemMess, a Zürich cycle club that “promotes … intersectional feminist discussions” in cycling.

“We from FemMess CC strongly condemn UCI’s decision to essentially ban trans woman from competitive cycling, this decision has no basis in scientific findings and has only been implemented because of the current transmisogynistic political climate and pressure from trans exclusionary organizations. We won’t be attending any event that follows UCI Guidelines as we won’t financially support organizations like this,” the group posted on Instagram, where Gysin can be seen in a photo.

“We stand for an intersectional feminist approach to the sport and bio essentialism is dangerous for everyone, they won’t stop with trans woman. F**k UCI!” the group concluded.

[justinssportscorner]

Alyssa Tirrell at MMFA:

In late December, USA Boxing released a new set of guidelines for the inclusion of trans competitors, and right-wing media responded by criticizing the regulations, relying on anti-trans tropes and misinformation in their coverage. GOP members of Congress have since introduced twin legislation that promises to ban all trans competitors from the Olympic and amateur levels in any sport, citing the new regulations as a motivating concern and repeating the anti-trans framing popularized by right-wing media's backlash.  

While the USA Boxing guidelines are a departure from a trend of sports organizations banning trans participation, the requirements are considered stringent. Athletes under the age of 18 must compete “as their birth gender,” and adult competitors are required to obtain genital surgery and regular hormone testing, both in the four years preceding competition and throughout any competitive period. Nevertheless, right-wing media are attacking the rules, which USA Boxing says build on the consensus of several medical groups and international athletic federations.  On January 3, Fox News' America's Newsroom co-host Dana Perino referred to the eligibility requirements for trans female boxers as “nonsense.” Hosts and guests repeatedly referred to trans women as “men” or “guys,” and co-host Bill Hemmer quoted former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines' claim that “it will take a woman getting killed before these misogynistic fools wake up.”   Fox’s Outnumbered also said a woman could die because of the new rules, arguing that the regulations would lead to “one-punch killings.” Co-host Harris Faulkner cited Gaines' campaign against the inclusion of trans swimmers, misgendering Gaines' former competitor Lia Thomas in the process and expanding the panel's criticism to trans inclusion in noncontact athletic competitions as well. 

Despite such concerns over safety, coverage disregarded USA Boxing's medical citations, which include the recommendations of Boston Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine and Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital. Instead, for instance, The Ingraham Angle platformed the perspective of UFC fighter Colby Covington, who argued that “it doesn't matter what their hormone levels or pronouns are,” because “when they dig up their bones in 200 years, their bones won't leave pronouns.” (Actually, archeologists are capable of imputing that a skeleton may have belonged to a transgender person after more than 200 years.) [...] USA Boxing responded to backlash by restating that it is in compliance with federal law. The following day, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) introduced twin legislation in both the House and the Senate that would “prohibit any governing body recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) from allowing men to participate in any athletic event intended for females.” 

A joint press release cited the USA Boxing guidelines and repeated right-wing media's anti-trans framing. Tuberville's statement claimed that “men should not be competing in women’s sports at any level—and especially not in a sport like boxing. Whether in little league or the Olympics, it’s unsafe, it’s unfair, and it’s just plain wrong. This bill will ensure that the Olympics are fair to American women who train their whole lives to represent our country on the world stage.”   The press release also cited the support of a number of anti-trans organizations, including the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Independent Women's Forum, and the Independent Council on Women’s Sports and quoted several anti-trans figures, including American Principles Project President Terry Schilling and — yet again — Riley Gaines. 

Right-wing media pundits, led by anti-trans grifter Riley Gaines, is leading the backlash against USA Boxing's trans-inclusive policy.

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/world/ruling-due-in-landmark-athletics-case/

Ruling due in landmark athletics case

Semenya is the fourth fastest woman of all time over 400m

Potentially one of the most pivotal moments in modern sport will occur not on a track, pitch or court, but in a plush office building in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Wednesday.

The Court of Arbitration in Sport (Cas) is expected to announce a verdict on one of athletics’ biggest names – South Africa’s Caster Semenya – and her right to compete as a woman.

Who is Caster Semenya?

Caster Semenya is one of the most dominant stars of modern athletics.

A double Olympic gold medallist and three-time world champion over 800m, the 28-year-old South African has won her past 29 races over the distance.

However, since her meteoric rise from unknown teenager to world champion in 2009, her gender, and possible advantages in her biology, have come under scrutiny.

The results of gender testing carried out 10 years ago have not been made public, although media reports claimed it showed both male and female characteristics including a higher-than-normal levels of testosterone.

Semenya wins 800m gold as Sharp comes eighth

The International Association of Athletics Federations, which runs the sport, proposed a rule to restrict the level of testosterone permitted in female runners in events between 400m and a mile.

Semenya is challenging the proposal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

A verdict is expected on Wednesday, 1 May, about 12:00 BST.

What are disorders/differences of sex development (DSD)?

People with a DSD do not develop along typical gender lines.

Their hormones, genes, reproductive organs may be a mix of male and female characteristics.

The term ‘disorders’ is controversial with some of those affected preferring the term “intersex” and referring to “differences in sex development”.

What next after diagnosis?

Most people with a DSD stay with the gender they were assigned as a baby. However others, who feel their assigned gender doesn’t represent who they are, may choose to change their gender.

People with a DSD may be infertile and need hormone therapy and psychological support to help them come to terms with their condition.

What about elite athletes like Semenya?

Research commissioned by the IAAF showed in 2017 that female athletes with elevated testosterone had “a competitive advantage”, claiming that high testosterone was responsible for as much as 3% improvement in runners.

However those findings have been contested by Semenya and her team.

Caster Semenya: The full interview

They claim that it is not clear how much DSD athletes benefit from their naturally higher levels of testosterone.

During the early ’90s, Spanish hurdler Maria Jose Martinez-Patino successfully fought against a ban imposed after she was discovered to have XY chromosomes typically seen in men.

She demonstrated that her condition made her insensitive to the ‘excess’ testosterone in her blood.

Why is Semenya’s case so important?

Sport has traditionally been divided into male and female categories, but Semenya’s case and the science it has brought to the fore shows it may be an artificially binary distinction.

It has been suggested that, if the verdict goes against the IAAF, athletics might introduce an ‘open’ category that men and women could, in theory, compete in side by side, and a ‘protected’ category based on hormone levels, rather than gender.

Might Paralympic-style categories be introduced?

And what would be the ripple effect on other sports?

This is not a case about transgender. But one of the questions it raises is that transgender athletes – who have transitioned from one gender to another – might ask why they are obliged to alter their hormone levels when DSD athletes are free to compete without doing so.

And what about the future for Semenya if she loses the case and the IAAF’s hormone limits come into force?

A leading sport scientist has suggested she would be five to seven seconds slower over 800m if she reduces her testosterone in line with the proposed limits.

She could revert to a longer distance. She has run the 5,000m twice this season, winning on each occasion.

What they have said – the key quotes so far

IAAF president Lord Sebastian Coe: “No individual athlete has been targeted in the creation of the regulations.

“We need to create competition categories within our sport that ensures that success is determined by talent, dedication and hard work, rather than by other factors that are not considered fair or meaningful, such as the enormous physical advantages that an adult has over a child, or a male athlete has over a female athlete.”

Semenya: “I just want to run naturally, the way I was born.”

IAAF statement in February: “If a DSD athlete has testes and male levels of testosterone, they get the same increases in bone and muscle size and strength and increases in haemoglobin that a male gets when they go through puberty, which is what gives men such a performance advantage over women.

“Therefore, to preserve fair competition in the female category, it is necessary to require DSD athletes to reduce their testosterone down to female levels before they compete at international level.”

Former marathon world champion Paula Radcliffe: “There isn’t a fair answer – there’s no solution that is fair to everybody. It’s just trying to make fairness out of a situation that is pretty much impossible.”

South African Olympic 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk: “Caster is fighting for something beyond just track and field; she’s fighting for women in sports [and] in society.”

The United Nations Human Rights Council said that sporting bodies should “refrain from developing and enforcing policies and practices that force, coerce or otherwise pressure women and girl athletes into undergoing unnecessary, humiliating and harmful medical procedures in order to participate in women’s events in competitive sports”.

[buckmebuchanan]

UK’s Queer History part 2

1912 - the First gay pub, Madame Strindgberg's The Cave of the Golden Calf opened

1936 – A 30-year-old British athletic champion, Mark Weston of Plymouth, transitioned from female to male. The story appeared in some national newspapers, including the News of the World (31 May 1936). The reportage said that Weston was a male and should continue to live as such

1956  – The Sexual Offences Act recognises the crime of sexual assault between women.

1967  –  Sexual Offences Bill 1967 was introduced. When passed, The Act decriminalised homosexual acts between two men over 21 years of age in private in England and Wales. The 1967 Act did not extend to Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, where all homosexual behaviour remained illegal. The privacy restrictions of the act meant a third person could not be present and men could not have sex in a hotel. These restrictions were overturned in the European Court of Human Rights in 2000

1969  – Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) formed as the first British gay activist group.

1972  – The First British Gay Pride Rally was held in London with 1000 people marching. Gay News, Britain's first gay newspaper was founded.

1976 – Britain's political pressure group Liberty, under their alternate name National Council for Civil Liberties, (NCCL) called for an equal age of consent of 14 in Britain. The term Gay Bowel Syndrome was coined to describe a range of rectal diseases seen among gay male patients; this is the first medical term to relate to gay men.

1981  – The first UK case of AIDS was recorded when a 49-year-old man was admitted to Brompton Hospital in London suffering from PCP (Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia). He died ten days later.

1983  – Britain reports 17 cases of AIDS. Gay men are asked not to donate blood. UK Crown Dependency Guernsey (Including Alderney, Herm and Sark) decriminalised homosexuality.

1984 – Chris Smith is the first openly out homosexual politician in the UK parliament. Britain reports 108 cases of AIDS with 46 deaths. The Politics Of Bisexuality (BiCon) signals the growth of separate bisexual community organising. Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, a campaign of LGBT support for striking workers in the miners' strike of 1984 and 1985, is launched.

1988 – Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 enacted as an amendment to the United Kingdom's Local Government Act 1986, on 24 May 1988 stated that a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".

1989  – The campaign group Stonewall UK is set up to oppose Section 28 and other barriers to equality.

1990  – In July, following the murders in a short period of time, of Christopher Schliach, Henry Bright, William Dalziel and Michael Boothe, hundreds of lesbians and gay men marched from the park where Boothe had been killed to Ealing town hall and held a candlelit vigil.

The demonstration led to the formation of OutRage, who called for the police to start protecting gay men instead of arresting them. In September, lesbian and gay police officers established the Lesbian and Gay Police Association (Lagpa/GPA).The first gay pride event is held in Manchester and northern ireland. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson, a semi-autobiographical screenplay about her lesbian life was shown on BBC television. Justin Fashanu became the first professional footballer to come out in the press (he subsequently committed suicide).

1996 – A breakthrough is made in the area of AIDS treatment; Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) is found to significantly delay the onset of AIDS in people living with HIV. The NHS makes the treatment available in the UK. HAART has a dramatic effect and many bed ridden AIDS patients return to work. The European Court of Human Rights heard Morris v. The United Kingdom and Sutherland v. the United Kingdom, cases brought by Chris Morris and Euan Sutherland challenging the homosexual inequality in divided ages of consent.

1999  – In May, the Admiral Duncan, a gay pub in Soho was bombed by former British National Party member David Copeland, killing three people and wounding at least 70. Queer Youth Alliance was formed

2000  – The Labour government scraps the policy of barring homosexuals from the armed forces.Though it will not be until the Armed Forces Act 2016 that the law is actually repealed. The Labour government introduces legislation to repeal Section 28 in England and Wales - Conservative MPs oppose the move.

2001  – The last two pieces of unequal law regarding gay male sex are changed. In 1997 the European Commission of Human Rights found that the European Convention on Human Rights were violated by a discriminatory age of consent; the government submitted that it would propose a Bill to Parliament for a reduction of the age of consent for homosexual acts from 18 to 16.

2002  – Same-sex couples are granted equal rights to adopt.

2003 – Section 28, which banned councils and schools from intentionally promoting homosexuality, is repealed in England and Wales and Northern Ireland. Employment Equality Regulations made it illegal to discriminate against lesbians, gays or bisexuals at work. Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson, both British university professors, legally married in British Columbia, Canada, however on their return their same-sex marriage was not recognised under British law. Under the subsequent Civil Partnership Act 2004, it was instead converted into a civil partnership. The couple sued for recognition of their same-sex marriage.

2004  – The Civil Partnership Act 2004 is passed by the Labour Government, giving same-sex couples the same rights and responsibilities as married heterosexual couples in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The Gender Recognition Act 2004 is passed by the Labour Government. The Act gives ‘transsexual’ people legal recognition as members of the sex appropriate to their gender (male or female) allowing them to acquire a new birth certificate, affording them full recognition of their acquired sex in law for all purposes, including marriage.

2006  – The Equality Act 2006 which establishes the Equality and Human Rights Commission (CEHR) and makes discrimination against lesbians and gay men in the provision of goods and services illegal, gains Royal Assent on 16 February. The age of consent is equalized and Section 28 "successfully repealed"

2007  – The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations becomes law on 30 April making discrimination against lesbians and gay men in the provision of goods and services illegal. Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham declared his opposition to the act, saying that the legislation contradicted the Catholic Church's moral values.

2008  – Treatment of lesbian parents and their children is equalized in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. The legislation allows for lesbians and their partners (both civil and de facto) equal access to legal presumptions of parentage in cases of in vitro fertilisation ("IVF") or assisted/self insemination (other than at home) from the moment the child is born.

2009  – The Labour Government Prime Minister Gordon Brown makes an official public apology on behalf of the British government for the way in which Alan Turing was chemically castrated for being gay, after the war. Opposition leader David Cameron apologises on behalf of the Conservative Party, for introducing Section 28 during Margaret Thatcher's third government.

2010  – Pope Benedict XVI condemns British equality legislation for running contrary to "natural law" as he confirmed his first visit to the UK. The Equality Act 2010 makes discrimination against lesbians and gay men in the provision of goods and services illegal.

2013  – The coalition government unveils its Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill on 25 January.On 17 July 2013, Royal Assent is given to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. Queen Elizabeth II grants Alan Turing a posthumous pardon.

Nikki Sinclaire comes out as transgender, thus becoming the United Kingdom’s first openly transgender Parliamentarian.

2014  – Same-sex marriage becomes legal in England and Wales on the 29th of March under the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. Queen Elizabeth II praises the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard for their 40-year history, the first time the Crown has ever publicly supported the LGBT community.

2015 - The Royal Vauxhall Tavern became the first ever building in the UK to be given a special “listing” status based on its LGBT history; it was accorded Grade II listed status by the UK’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Part 1

Some further reading for my UK LGBTQs: 

A minority: A report on the life of the male homosexual in Great Britain, 1960

We Can’t Even Match Straight, 1995 - a history of LGBT in the military

Mother Clap's Molly House: The Gay Subculture in England 1700-1830, 2006

Queer City: Gay London from the Romans to the Present Day, 2018

Pride: The Unlikely Story of the True Heroes of the Miner's Strike, 2017

The Lesbian Revolution: Lesbian Feminism in the UK 1970-1990, 2018

[coochiequeens]

He can still compete, he just can’t compete against women.

A trans-identified male runner took first place at a women’s race in France last weekend despite a recent rule change at an international level banning males from competing in female athletic competitions. 

Halba Diouf, 21, broke his personal record at the Nice Côte D’Azur Athlétisme (NCAA) Interclubs Open competition in Nice on May 7. His winning time made him the ninth fastest recorded “female” in French athletic history. 

He achieved a leading performance which nearly met the minimum time required for the Olympics, which Diouf has expressed interest in participating in as a “woman.”

However, due to recent rule changes proposed by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics, male competitors who have gone through male puberty are not permitted to compete in the female categories of international competitions. 

World Athletics oversees regulations for a variety of race-related events, and previous guidelines allowed men to compete in the female division if they had suppressed their testosterone levels below a certain threshold – a standard which critics pointed out was set to as much as five times higher than the average amount of the hormone found in females.

Speaking about the decision by World Athletics Diouf in a recent interview, Diouf said: “I cannot understand this decision as transgender women have always been allowed to compete if their testosterone levels were below a certain threshold … The only safeguard transgender women have is their right to live as they wish and we are being refused that, we are being hounded … I feel marginalized because they are excluding me from competitions.”

Diouf also took to social media to denounce his critics. On March 26, he posted a statement to Instagram asserting that he believed he had a right to compete against female athletes. 

“I am extremely angry, because I gave up too many things to come to this,” Diouf wrote. “If we have to fight to show our existence, we will! The hordes of angry people who moan that trans people are threatening the civilization they’ve built are right.”

Two weeks ago, Diouf appeared on France TV where he repeated his views on the World Athletics decision.

“The alleged intention to ‘protect women’ by exclusionary policies like this is insidious, even pernicious, and it is intended to deceive people, especially women!” he said. “In reality, these [regulations] are not protecting anyone and harm all women by continuing to monitor women’s bodies. They are indirectly being infantile without even knowing it, and that’s a pity.”

Diouf was born in born in Senegal, but his family immigrated to France when he was four years old. He has undergone cross-sex hormone therapy and legally changed his sex marker on his identification to read “female” two years ago. 

Diouf won a women’s 200m race in January 2023, just prior to the rule change by World Athletes. However, just days after winning the competition, his details were deleted from the list of participants. The French Athletics Federation (FFA) stepped in requiring more information about Diouf’s medical status and hormone levels to ensure they were in-line with World Athletics guidelines at the time for trans-identified males.

Diouf was found to have met the criteria. His endocrinologist, Alain Berliner, said the 21-year-old “is a woman, from a physiological, hormonal and legal point of view.” Only two months later in March 2023, World Athletics updated their guidelines. 

In a statement about their decision, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe argued, “We cannot in all conscience leave our transgender regulations as they were at 5nmol/L for at least one year when we were unsure about the impact of doing so across all our disciplines.”

“The decision that the council made is a primarily principled based decision about the over-arching need to protect the female category. This is what our sport is here to do. And I think the council has done that today.

“We continue to take the view that we must maintain fairness for female athletes above all other considerations. We will be guided in this by the science around physical performance and male advantage which will inevitably develop over the coming years.”

After the decision, Diouf said in an interview that he was “shocked” but would continue to present himself to female competitions despite the rule change. 

The French Athletics Federation (Fédération Française d’Athlétisme – FFA) granted permission for Diouf to compete “up to the departmental level”, but his performances cannot be taken into account for an international selection, meaning he has been permitted to participate in national championships or for French women’s records. This allowed him to compete in the open competition on Sunday, where he won the women’s 200m race. 

World Athletics are not the only sporting governing body to update their policy on males competing in women’s sports. FINA, the international swimming world’s governing body, voted to ban trans-identified males from elite female competitions if they had undergone male puberty.

By Shay Woulahan

Shay is a writer and social media content creator for Reduxx. She is a proud lesbian activist and feminist who lives in Northern Ireland with her partner and their four-legged, fluffy friends.