Transgender cyclists have been banned from international women’s competition, prompting the trans rider Emily Bridges to threaten legal action and furiously accuse the governing body of discrimination. The Telegraph has more.
In a move that mirrors British Cycling’s new transgender policy, as well as those now in swimming, athletics and rugby, the Union Cycliste Internationale has ruled that no transgender ‘woman’ who has gone through male puberty will be permitted to compete in the female category.
Riders could previously race provided that they had reduced their testosterone to below 5 nmol/L but this rule came under acute scrutiny in March last year when Bridges entered the British omnium championships following [his] transition.
Bridges, who had set a national record in men’s junior competition, was adamant that [he] met all of the UCI and British Cycling rules to reduce testosterone but was forced to pull out on the eve of the race after [his] competitors secretly considered a boycott.
British Cycling then underwent a review of its transgender policy, resulting in an outright ban of any transgender athlete in female races. The UCI initially opted to reduce the testosterone limit to 2.5 nmol/L but changed policy for the second time in a year at a meeting of its management committee on Friday. It had followed the backlash over the American transgender cyclist Austin Killips winning the UCI’s Tour of the Gila in New Mexico earlier this year.
Bridges accused British Cycling of “furthering a genocide” with its decision in May and a similarly blistering statement was published on [his] Instagram following the UCI’s statement.
“Hope is gone,” [he] wrote. “The trust in the institution is gone. Official, sanctioned competitive sport is no longer for trans people. We will continue to fight this, in sports science labs, in courtrooms, and on the streets, but I am under no impression that it is as easy to unban someone as it is to ban in the first place.
“I haven’t given up though. I will not give up on every trans person, every trans child who sees these announcements and thinks that they are not welcome on the planet. Because that is the impact.”
Good to see some common sense winning through at least in some sporting fields.
Worth reading in full.
Discussion
Comments
This week across the site:
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to the Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.
If courts challenge this in all sports then participants (if they feel it is unjust that as women they have to compete against men) should simply refuse to compete. When there is no one left to run a race or swim across a pool it will all STOP overnight.
The word ‘Cycling’ in the headline will hopefully be replaced in short order by ‘Sports’
Good. Now I can go back to ignoring women’s sport.
Went to an interactive theatre show this week. We had the talk before we entered about how any racist, homophobic and transphobic remarks would not be tolerated. I rolled my eyes and then wondered, what transphobic remarks are there, other than calling a pretend woman a man. It’s also funny how women who pretend to be men don’t compete in Male sports. Like Mogs says ‘failed male athletes’ I find it all a bit pathetic.
I read last week somewhere about a transgender man (i.e. pretend man) who is an athlete, BUT is still competing as a woman..Did I dream that?
You mean “Male riders banned……”
If there are soooo many top class transgender people out there itching to take part in competitive sports, why don’t they just start their own leagues and teams? Or have I missed something (cf. Mogwai’s retirement plan comment above)?!
Can we not be told this bloke’s real name too?
Can’t – that’s deadnaming and illegal in the UK under the Equality Act 2010, apparently (protected rights). FFS.
Very easy to find online, road as a bloke until 2018/19 under the same surname.
Zach Bridges. He was born on the 4th of January, 2001.
http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=136048
So because Bridges is no longer allowed to cheat, he spits out his dummy, calls everyone involved murderers and then flounces off.
And there he can stay for all I care.
And I think most female professional cyclists would say “amen” to that.
Norm Hiccup will not be happy.
Spare him a thought.
https://youtu.be/ipvesqJP1e4
And as the meme says; ”Women’s sport is not a retirement plan for failed male athletes.”
”How many mediocre male athletes have suddenly transitioned to win women’s sports competitions?
Lia Thomas – 1st place women’s swimming
Austin Killips – Won 6+ women’s medals
Valentina Petrillo – Won 9 women’s sports medals”
https://twitter.com/OliLondonTV/status/1680190679308283910
Case in point. How many women do you know that are 49yrs old and still winning medals in their chosen event?
https://twitter.com/OliLondonTV/status/1680179674888953857
Hopefully all sports are now going to follow.
Thankfully it should become easier for them as those who have gone before them have set the precedent (and taken the most flak) to enable the others to follow
I’m sorry that Emily Bridges feels that it’s ‘genocide’ for men not to be able to completely eradicate naturally born women from the planet…it’s a real shame but maybe she needs to look at the definition.? …
This is brilliant news for women everywhere (..and if Emily wasn’t so far up her own fundament…and was actually a woman, she’d cheer as well…) but as a selfish misogynist… even one dressed in a frock…it’s just doesn’t even occur to her.
Now ALL women’s sport needs to follow the lead and take back women’s sport for women…..
Also female beauty contests.
“HE needs to look at the definition”…”up HIS own fundament”…”even occur to HIM”
Don’t play their game. Bridges is a man. He was born a man and will die a man, and no amount of hormone treatment, surgical mutilation (has he had any?) and wishful thinking will ever change that.
Whining, puerile, entitled misogynist. Even girls (real ones) have more testicular fortitude than this pantywaist. It is about time we furthered this ‘genocide’ and treated them as the sex they were born with. How about the ‘genocide ‘ of women’s sport if we are going with hysterical hyperbole.
Seconded. They either get their own category or they can Foxtrot right Oscar!
You’re assuming that this guy is serious and not a bought shill. I think that’s a bit daring.
?? Please explain.
I strongly suspect that many of these z-list celebrities and ex-criminals making outrageously stupid transclaims, eg, the genocide one, do so because there’s some professional PR behind this and they’re on somebody’s payroll. I have obviously absolutely no proof for that except that loads of people suddenly doing stupid things (like claiming that men can become women) suggests that they profit this in some way.
Thanks. You may very well be right.