British public: ‘Keep trans athletes out of women’s sport’

The majority of the British public do not believe biological males should be allowed to compete against women, a new survey has shown.

More in Common UK found that 57 per cent of Britons thought men should be banned from elite sports for women.

The results were published in the report ‘Britons and Gender Identity’, co-authored by Luke Tryl — the Director of More in Common UK and former Stonewall head of education.

‘Fairness’ and ‘safety’

The report revealed that “only 19 per cent of Britons support trans athletes competing in women-only sporting events”.

The authors claimed the public were “not interested in the exact details of what it means to technically be a man or a woman and how this then translates to sport”.

“Instead, it is a basic question of fairness”, they said, and in “contact sports” a matter of “safety”.

Biological males, they continued, “have advantages which females do not possess from birth and that makes their participation unfair, undermining a level playing field”.

Public opinion

One respondent said: “It’s a competition at the end of the day. I just don’t think it’s fair on the competitor.”

Another observed: “It’s definitely not fair on the women that have been training their whole life and have been at the top of their sport.

“And then to have somebody come in that has transitioned and then smashed every record out of the park on their first attempt. It’s obviously weighted in their direction.”

A concerned parent asked: “So my daughter, who’s an athlete, she plays netball. She’s an all-rounder. Is she going to be running against a man who has the physiology of a man, but he identifies as a woman?”

Sporting bodies

Last month, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told representatives from 15 sporting bodies that “elite and competitive women’s sport must be reserved for people born of the female sex”.

She said: “In the interests of sporting integrity, we must bring clarity to protect the future interests of sport around the world.”

Currently, the International Rugby League has temporarily barred men from the women’s game while it reviews its transgender policy. And the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has tightened its entry requirements for women’s events on the basis of testosterone levels.

Last week, British Triathlon announced that its female category would only be open to women. From the age of twelve, males who live as if female would be free to compete alongside other men in a new ‘open’ category.