World Rugby Considering Banning Trans Women From Women’s Rugby
World Rugby is considering banning trans women from playing women’s rugby, over safety concerns that have emerged after recent research. If this decision goes ahead, World Rugby would become the first international sports federation to ban trans women from playing the women’s category.
According to ‘The Guardian’, in the research it has been acknowledged that there is likely to be “at least a 20-30% greater risk” of injury when a female player is tackled by someone who has gone through male puberty. The document also says the latest science shows that trans women retain “significant” physical advantages over biological women even after they take medication to lower their testosterone.
Current rules allow trans women who lower their testosterone levels for at least 12 months in line with the International Olympic Committee’s guidelines to play, but these are World rugby suggests these are “not fit for the purpose.”
“Current policies regulating the inclusion of transgender women in sport are based on the premise that reducing testosterone to levels found in biological females is sufficient to remove many of the biologically-based performance advantages,” the draft report says. “However, peer-reviewed evidence suggests this is not the case.
“Ciswomen players (who do not undergo androgenisation during development) who are participating with and against transwomen (who do undergo androgenisation during development) are at a significantly increased risk of injury because of the contact nature of rugby.”
It adds: “While there is overlap in variables such as mass, strength, speed and the resultant kinetic and kinematic forces we have modelled to explore the risk factors, the situation where a typical player with male characteristics tackles a typical player with female characteristics creates a minimum of 20% to 30% greater risk for those female players. In the event of smaller female players being exposed to that risk, or of larger male players acting as opponents, the risk increases significantly, and may reach levels twice as large, at the extremes.”
As World Rugby’s working group notes, players who are assigned male at birth and whose puberty and development is influenced by androgens/testosterone “are stronger by 25%-50%, are 30% more powerful, 40% heavier, and about 15% faster than players who are assigned female at birth (who do not experience an androgen-influenced development).”
The proposals also recommends that trans men be allowed to play against other men – provided they get a physical assessment and a therapeutic-exemption-use certificate and sign an statement accepting they understand the greater injury risks.
A draft version of the waiver for transgender men to sign, says: “I acknowledge and accept the injury risks associated with transgender males playing contact rugby with males who are statistically likely to be stronger, faster and heavier than transgender males, as described in the World Rugby Transgender Guidelines which I have read and understand.”
Read related myGwork articles here:
Trans Players Would Be Welcome In Women’s Football, Says Former England Striker
The International Olympic Committee Will Publish Trans Guidelines After Tokyo Olympics
Teen Runners Sue To Block Trans Athletes From Girls’ Sport
Tennessee Bill Would Force Schools To Discriminate Against Trans Athletes
Keep up to date with the latest myGnews
