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.
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