There are calls for the Rugby Union to think more deeply about its plan to ban transgender women from playing rugby in the UK; The RFU Board will vote on Friday on whether it is safe for transgender women to enter the game; It follows an assessment of its gender engagement policy
By Eleanor Roper
Last updated: 07/28/22 11:57 am
Transgender woman Alix to be banned from playing rugby under plan voted on by RFU Council
Each season Alix fills in her diary with her rugby club’s schedule list. This summer, however, she said she dared not write them down.
On Friday, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) panel will vote on whether to introduce new regulations on gender participation.
If approved, that means only women designated at birth will be allowed to play rugby with other women.
Transgender women like Alix will be banned from the sport in the UK.
“I’ll be honest with you. If at some point I thought I was a danger to the people in front of me or the people I played with, I wouldn’t do this. I don’t want to hurt anyone, accidentally or not,” she said Sports sky.
Safety and fairness are at the heart of this debate.
The RFU said that “the inclusion of transgender individuals who were designated as male at birth into women’s rugby contact, cannot be balanced with safety and equity considerations.”
East London Vixens
After two years of consultation, the sport’s governing body has recommended that, until new science becomes available, it is better to take a precautionary approach.
Alix, 54, plays for East London Vixens. She is one of seven transgender women in the UK who have been given permission by the sport’s governing body to play rugby.
“I’m not the biggest on this team, I’m not the strongest on this team. That argument is a very dangerous thing for rugby to go down, simply because, who’s big enough? And who too big?
“There are people on this team who are bigger than me, so if I’m too big, are they too big? And that’s just not true because rugby is a game for all shapes and sizes.”
Current regulations mean that transgender women wanting to play rugby in the UK are assessed on a case-by-case basis. While this avoids a blanket ban, the RFU says it is not without difficulty and does not necessarily guarantee inclusion.
East London Vixens vice president Kat Salthouse is urging the RFU to take a step back and do more research
Kat Salthouse is the vice president of East London Rugby Club. She played alongside Alix and described Friday’s vote as a “major setback”.
“In my four years playing with Alix, I’ve never had any safety concerns. Alix poses no more risk to ourselves, our teammates or the opposition than when we play a sport. contact sports.
“We are in a society now where we need to be more open and accepting of the people around us.”
Kat describes the move as a “kick to the teeth” and is urging the RFU to take a step back; to see who is affected by this policy change and do more research.
The regulator said it was a difficult decision and was not made lightly or without research and consultation, adding that “the advantages in strength, stamina and physique brought on by pubertal males was significant and retained even after testosterone suppression”.
If the RFU Council votes in favor of the changes, they will be introduced before the 2022/23 season.
