Athlete Ally Responds to World Rugby Proposed Trans Athlete Ban
July 29, 2020 (New York, NY) — The Guardian has reported that World Rugby is considering an outright ban on trans women athletes, based on incomplete and misleading data on safety concerns. In response, Athlete Ally issued the following statement to PinkNews:
“In 2017, Athlete Ally brought together nearly 375 members of the international rugby community to call on World Rugby to stand with its transgender athletes and adopt the International Olympic Committee’s 2015 trans inclusion policies.
Today, as World Rugby considers an outright ban on trans women athletes, we urge the World Rugby Working Group to draw from already existing inclusion policies designed to promote safety and fairness for all, such as the IOC guidelines which have been in place for years without issue.
Trans women play sports for the same reason cisgender women do: for the love of the game, and the love of the lifelong community it brings. No one should be denied the lifesaving power of sport.”
Athlete Ally is committed to fighting alongside transgender female rugby players and their supporters for rugby to be a safe, welcoming and inclusive space for all athletes. Join us in supporting trans female rugby players by committing to #TackleTransphobia, signing on to a petition or open letter, or sharing your story here.