Liberal senator Claire Chandler has hit out at recently announced inclusive policies by Australia’s leading sporting codes saying they are ignoring evidence about transgender women.
Last week eight of Australia’s major sporting codes jointly announced new polices focusing on making sport inclusive for all people, and outlining how transgender men and women can also participate in sport.
The AFL, Hockey Australia, Netball Australia, Rugby Australia, Tennis Australia, Touch Football Australia, UniSport Australia and Water Polo all took part in the announcement.
In a statement on her website Senator Chandler said the sporting bodies had made an error and “placed the rights of males to play in women’s sport above the rights of females to their own sporting competitions.”
Senator Chandler said the sporting bodies should consider research by World Rugby which had found that transgender women had a significant advantage over other players. The Tasmanian senator said the other sporting bodies should have considered this research before committing to their inclusive policies.
“Despite this evidence, eight major Australian sporting organisations yesterday announced that they had developed ‘inclusion’ policies that make it easier for biological males who identity as women to play women’s sport. These guidelines emerged out of the blue, with no consultation with the general public, women’s groups, or the millions of Australians who play community sport.” Senator Chandler said.
The politician said she believed the vast majority of Australians wanted specific categories of sport to remain.
“Inclusion in sport is important and that’s why we have men’s sport for males, women’s sport for females, junior sport for children and a range of mixed and social sport options. Removing female-only sport as a stand alone category is not inclusive, it is insulting and unfair.” Senator Chandler said.
Her calls have been backed by anti-transgender organisation Binary, who say the sporting codes have shown hatred of women and labeled their new policies as a “pathetic capitulation” to “radical gender activists.”
“Eight national sporting codes have joined the band wagon of discriminating against women.” spokesperson Kirralie Smith said in a video post.”Siding with radical gender activists they have chosen to allow biological males to compete as females.”
“None of them have a definition of the term ‘man’ or women’. All of them seem to accept that biological males have a distinct advantage over females and have made a pathetic attempt to address the issue.” Smith said.
Smith said anti-discrimination laws would prevent most Australians from speaking out against the new policies. Last week a complaint against Senator Chandler lodged with the Tasmanian Anti-discrimination Commission was withdrawn when the Senator refused to commit to the commissions conciliation process.
Federal Attorney General Christian Porter has called on the Tasmanian government to reform the state’s anti-discrimination laws arguing that it is too easy for a complaint to be made.
OIP Staff
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