Transgender players will not be able to compete in the Women’s World Cup in England in October
Transgender players have been banned from women’s internationals, while the governing body of the rugby league is doing more research on its inclusion policy.
The move comes when several sports are considering transgender inclusion.
Transgender swimmers were banned from women’s elite races on Sunday if they had gone through male puberty.
World Athletics President Lord Coe told the BBC that sport could follow the example of swimming, saying that a new eligibility policy should be discussed and that “equity is not negotiable.”
The IRL said it had considered “significant advances in world sport” in reaching its decision to ban “transwomen” until it had completed its investigation into its final inclusion policy.
The ban will apply to the World Cup in England in October, which includes teams from Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Cook Islands, England, France, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
“It is the responsibility of the IRL to balance the right of the individual to participate, a long-standing principle of the rugby league and their heart from the day it was established, with the perceived risk to other participants, and to ensure that everyone gets a fair hearing, “the organization said.
“The IRL will continue to work to develop a set of criteria, based on the best possible evidence, that fairly balances the right of the individual to play with the safety of all participants,” the statement added.
However, the decision has been criticized by transgender rights advocates.
“The widespread prohibitions of transgender women against other women run the risk of violating international principles of non-discrimination in human rights, which require that these policies start from a place of inclusion,” said Anna Brown, CEO of Equality Australia.
“Fina (the world governing body of swimming) did not meet this standard, and the ban on the rugby league does not succeed either, despite being temporary.”
Several sports have been considering their inclusion policies in recent months, especially after the International Olympic Committee decided earlier this year that the participation policies governing transgender athletes should be determined by each sport, depending on of its particular characteristics.
The IRL said it would work with nations competing in the Women’s World Cup to obtain data to report on a transgender policy in 2023.
The executive director of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, Jon Dutton, said he praised the “clarity” the IRL’s decision had provided to competing nations before selecting their teams for the tournament.
“It is important for the IRL to carefully consider its position on this issue and for the RLWC to understand the need for further investigation,” he added.
The governing body of the World Rugby Union has already banned transgender women from playing at the elite level.
In the guidelines posted on its website, the external link World Rugby said that transgender women could not play women’s rugby “because of the size, strength and power-producing benefits that testosterone gives during puberty. and adolescence, and the risks that this poses to the well-being of the players. “
Caroline Layt played in the league and rugby union before and after the transition in the late 1990s, and is now an advocate for transgender women in the sport.
“More research is great, but I would also like to hear people like me, who have been there and done it,” said the 56-year-old Australian. no one.
“They don’t know what the transition is. People don’t understand why we’re going through it and how it denies our performance. Once you’ve made the transition, you’ve feminized yourself enough to be one more player and you won’t go there. a cisgender female rugby player “.
Nationally, the policy of the Rugby Football Union in England allows trans women to play, under certain testosterone-based conditions.
The Rugby Football League, the governing body of the professional rugby league in England, is conducting its own review on transgender inclusion which is “nearing completion,” the agency said.
Critics of the participation of transgender athletes in some women’s sports argue that they may have a disproportionate advantage for their peers based on their birth biology. However, many transgender athletes and their supporters strongly argue this claim.
The recent swimming movement ignited controversy. Transgender rights groups criticized the decision, while American footballer Megan Rapinoe, one of the sport’s most influential voices, said it was “disgusting”.
“Show me the evidence that trans women are taking everyone’s scholarships, they dominate in every sport, they’re winning every title. I’m sorry, it’s just not happening,” Rapinoe told Time magazine.external-link.
“I’m confident we can find out. But we can’t start the other way around. That’s cruel. And frankly, it’s just disgusting. We’re going through it all through ‘God forbid a trans person can be successful in sport.’ Take reality and take a step back. “
The IRL is the governing body of sport and its role is to develop, promote and administer the rugby league. It has 19 full members, 16 affiliate members and 19 observer members.