Australia prime minister joins transgender policy backlash

[snoop1130]

Australia prime minister joins transgender policy backlash

By Nick Mulvenney

 

FILE PHOTO: Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison is seen at the Istana in Singapore, June 7, 2019. REUTERS/Feline Lim

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Cricket Australia (CA) have come under fire for a new policy aimed at making the sport inclusive for transgender and gender diverse players, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison describing it as “heavy-handed” and “mystifying” on Friday.

 

CA issued two policies on Thursday, one setting out the rules for “Elite” cricket, which they said was closely aligned with the 2017 International Cricket Council guidelines, and the other for “Community Cricket”.

 

While the “Elite” policy demands that trans women must reduce their testosterone levels over a 12-month period to compete in women’s cricket, the “Community” policy requires only a nomination of a gender identity.

 

There was an immediate backlash on social media with some critics lambasting the governing body for progressive posturing but the majority accusing CA of fundamentally undermining women’s sport.

 

Morrison waded into the debate in a radio interview with conservative pundit Alan Jones on Friday and suggested the mandatory policies were unnecessary, at grassroots level at least.

 

“I think it’s pretty heavy-handed to put it pretty mildly,” the prime minister told Sydney radio station 2GB.

 

“I think it’s a very sensitive issue. I would need to have Cricket Australia understand that this is a very heavy-handed approach they’re taking with local sport, and I think there are far more practical ways to handle these issues than these sort of heavy mandatory ways of doing it.

 

“And I’m sure these issues have been quite carefully and practically managed at a club level already, and so why there is that necessity to get the sledgehammer out on this is mystifying me.”

 

CA’s policy initiative followed Sport Australia’s launch of “Trans and Gender Diverse Inclusion” guidelines for all sports in the country last month.

 

The inclusion of transgender athletes in elite women’s sport has become the subject of huge controversy, with critics arguing that being born male gives an unfair physical advantage even after transition.

 

Advocates for transgender inclusion argue that the process of transition decreases that advantage considerably and that physical differences between athletes inside sex classes mean there is never a truly level playing field in sport.

 

Transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard’s gold medal-winning performance for New Zealand in women’s events at the Pacific Games in Samoa last month became a lightning rod for criticism of transgender policy in the region.

 

Hannah Mouncey, an Australian transgender athlete who was part of the consultation process CA carried out in drawing up the policies, said they had set the standard for the governing bodies of professional sport.

 

“It’s quite easily the best in the world at the elite level and I don’t think we’ll see a better policy come out anywhere,” she told the Canberra Times on Thursday.

 

“It’s brought together all the best bits of other policies and created one that’s specific to cricket.

 

“There has to be an elite pathway (for transgender and gender-diverse people), that’s something which shouldn’t be denied to someone just because they’re different.”

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-08-09

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[daoyai]

why must this be complicated?  Born Male, you are male for life. You don't get to pretend you are female just cuz you wanna be. ...or just to win at a sport.

Edited August 9, 2019 by daoyai

[Gracas]

2 hours ago, daoyai said:

why must this be complicated?  Born Male, you are male for life. You don't get to pretend you are female just cuz you wanna be. ...or just to win at a sport.

You would think so, but its just not that easy any more.

A week or so ago I read a story where Mario Lopez (think he is some sort of TV host) commented that, It was "dangerous" for parents to allow their three year old children to pick their gender.

Well ff..sake the lefties came down on him hard. He was force to retract his statement and called himself "Ignorant & Insensitive" for making such a comment.

What a mess the world is in.

[legend49]

Just proves most useless politicians involve themselves in non important distractions instead of governing the country for ALL the people.

[evadgib]

8 hours ago, Gracas said:

You would think so, but its just not that easy any more.

A week or so ago I read a story where Mario Lopez (think he is some sort of TV host) commented that, It was "dangerous" for parents to allow their three year old children to pick their gender.

Well ff..sake the lefties came down on him hard. He was force to retract his statement and called himself "Ignorant & Insensitive" for making such a comment.

What a mess the world is in.

It seems to be happening everywhere these days. Society is being forced to accept just about everything and pretend its acceptable.

[blazes]

Middle and leg, please, Umpire.

 

Sorry, ma'am, you don't have one of those....

[norfolkc]

When women sport was women sport you had top woman athletes winning the events and sports now you have third rate men who could not compete at mens top-level winning women events call me old fashioned but to me this is cheating if they want to compete have their own completions these new polices are going to finish women sport as we know it to day all because some bloke want's to ware a skirt 

[Mick501]

If archeologists dig up the bones of a transgender person in a hundred years, what will they say is the gender?

[newatthis]

Being a heterosexual male or female will be considered abnormal soon.

Edited August 10, 2019 by newatthis
addition

[ThaiBunny]

4 hours ago, legend49 said:

Just proves most useless politicians involve themselves in non important distractions instead of governing the country for ALL the people.

No country can be governed for all the people. There will be winners and losers whatever decisions are made. That's why politics exist

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, newatthis said:

Being a heterosexual male or female will be considered abnormal soon.

No it won't. 

[Longcut]

16 hours ago, daoyai said:

why must this be complicated?  Born Male, you are male for life. You don't get to pretend you are female just cuz you wanna be. ...or just to win at a sport.

So if your a male playing in a female sport. Then I guess there is no penalty for getting hit in the balls! ????????

[Krataiboy]

 . . . a new policy aimed at making the sport inclusive for transgender and gender diverse players

 

I understand transgender. But what does "gender diverse" mean? 

[Krataiboy]

3 hours ago, newatthis said:

Being a heterosexual male or female will be considered abnormal soon.

Never mind male or female. To survive, we are all going to have to become transhumans. 

 

https://www.naturalnews.com/2017-02-19-musk-humans-must-become-cyborgs-to-survive-in-dystopian-future.html

 

[xylophone]

What a load of old cobblers, and I would suppose that some of those competing in the women's sports would have them, but I digress.........

I refer to the case of the runner Caster Semenya who competes as a female athlete and who has the support of many in the sport for what she/he is? 

But how stupid has it become because this supposed female has none of the equipment whatsoever that would determine she is a female; no ovaries, no womb, no uterus, no mammary glands and so on, and has the high testosterone levels of a male, which to all intents and purposes "she" is. 

Time to stop this stupidity and I sincerely hope that there are some people out there who can see this for what it is, a nonsense.
 

Edited August 10, 2019 by xylophone

[RJRS1301]

11 minutes ago, xylophone said:

What a load of old cobblers, and I would suppose that some of those competing in the women's sports would have them, but I digress.........

I refer to the case of the runner Caster Semenya who competes as a female athlete and who has the support of many in the sport for what she/he is? 

But how stupid has it become because this supposed female has none of the equipment whatsoever that would determine she is a female; no ovaries, no womb, no uterus, no mammary glands and so on, and has the high testosterone levels of a male, which to all intents and purposes "she" is. 

Time to stop this stupidity and I sincerely hope that there are some people out there who can see this for what it is, a nonsense.
 

DSDs are the disorders that are often responsible for producing what is known as the intersex condition, a condition where a person develops ambiguous genitalia, and often, their genetic sex (determined by the chromosome) differs from their phenotypic sex (their exernal appearance and physiological functions, to be broad). In other words, if you have thought that XX = female and XY = male, you are about to have your perception challenged!

 

https://sportsscientists.com/2009/08/caster-semenya-debate-some-physiology-explained/

 

Totally different from being transgender

 

Please understand the differences when commenting 

[Date Masamune]

17 hours ago, daoyai said:

why must this be complicated?  Born Male, you are male for life. You don't get to pretend you are female just cuz you wanna be. ...or just to win at a sport.

What a backward and vainglorious post.

[daoyai]

21 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

DSDs are the disorders that are often responsible for producing what is known as the intersex condition, a condition where a person develops ambiguous genitalia, and often, their genetic sex (determined by the chromosome) differs from their phenotypic sex (their exernal appearance and physiological functions, to be broad). In other words, if you have thought that XX = female and XY = male, you are about to have your perception challenged!

 

https://sportsscientists.com/2009/08/caster-semenya-debate-some-physiology-explained/

 

Totally different from being transgender

 

Please understand the differences when commenting 

yes there are some freaks of nature... but what % fall into that category and what % are athletic enough to compete? I know of the African runner, who else?

[RJRS1301]

3 minutes ago, daoyai said:

yes there are some freaks of nature... but what % fall into that category and what % are athletic enough to compete? I know of the African runner, who else?

That is person commented on and to which I responded.

Totally different from being transgender

DSD is more common than most realise

  The most thorough existing research finds intersex people to constitute an estimated 1.7% of the population*, which makes being intersex about as common as having red hair (1%-2%). However, popularly misinterpretted, much referenced statistics would have you believe are numbers are much lower

https://www.intersexequality.com/how-common-is-intersex-in-humans/

 

Not sure how many sports people are recognised as such.

 

 

Edited August 10, 2019 by RJRS1301

[daoyai]

10 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

That is person commented on and to which I responded.

Totally different from being transgender

DSD is more common than most realise

  The most thorough existing research finds intersex people to constitute an estimated 1.7% of the population*, which makes being intersex about as common as having red hair (1%-2%). However, popularly misinterpretted, much referenced statistics would have you believe are numbers are much lower

https://www.intersexequality.com/how-common-is-intersex-in-humans/

 

Not sure how many sports people are recognised as such.

 

 

Read the link you posted, interesting but their criteria for intersex is pretty fuzzy.  As an advocacy organization they would want to increase their numbers for their purposes. Would be interesting to see stats from a more science based study,  The traditional number of 1 in 1500-2000 sounds more plausible. 

[Scott]

A post violating Fair Use Policy and reply have been removed.

 

[xylophone]

18 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

DSDs are the disorders that are often responsible for producing what is known as the intersex condition, a condition where a person develops ambiguous genitalia, and often, their genetic sex (determined by the chromosome) differs from their phenotypic sex (their exernal appearance and physiological functions, to be broad). In other words, if you have thought that XX = female and XY = male, you are about to have your perception challenged!

 

https://sportsscientists.com/2009/08/caster-semenya-debate-some-physiology-explained/

 

Totally different from being transgender

 

Please understand the differences when commenting 

The Transgender debate is even worse!!! Could we be seeing Dwayne The Rock Johnson competing in women's sports because he suddenly "identifies" himself as a female!!!! Nonsense.

 

And Caster Semenya has nothing at all to denote she is a female (womb, ovaries, uterus, etc), even having testosterone levels of a man, apart from her mothers confusion as regards "her" strangely developed genitalia at birth, and being raised as a girl.

[ncc1701d]

I pretty much stopped having an interest in watching sports - all sports, around the time of the lance Armstrong saga. I make occasional exception to very high level rugby union or league. Whether it’s blatant cheating (Australian cricket), performance enhancement or this type of thing, it just makes watching it worthless. 

[Jingthing]

Of course I support equal civil rights for transgender people, but the athletic issue is a can of worms. Cisgender people have a legitimate beef about this situation. I'm sure happy I don't have to make such decisions. There is almost no good answer to it. 

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎8‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 2:26 PM, evadgib said:

It seems to be happening everywhere these days. Society is being forced to accept just about everything and pretend its acceptable.

Not everyone is pretending. Talkback radio is an eye (?ear) opener.

Unfortunately the present bunch of politicians seem to be too gutless to stand up for common sense.

 

Far as I'm concerned, do away with gender based sport and make it admission by ability to unisex sports. If a woman can do, they should do against all comers.

 

It's all so hypocritical though. Those women volley ballers on the beach don't wear skimpy outfits because they allow them to play better- it's all about being sexy. Same with track races- guys wear loose shorts, and women wear tight skimpy ones. It's just BS.

[daoyai]

19 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Of course I support equal civil rights for transgender people, but the athletic issue is a can of worms. Cisgender people have a legitimate beef about this situation. I'm sure happy I don't have to make such decisions. There is almost no good answer to it. 

Haha, funny to see someone use the term "cisgender" in a non-ironic context. Luckily that term has never really caught on.  As that refers to 99.9% percent of people we prefer the term ...normal.   ... that said, I too support equal civil rights.

[Jingthing]

5 hours ago, daoyai said:

Haha, funny to see someone use the term "cisgender" in a non-ironic context. Luckily that term has never really caught on.  As that refers to 99.9% percent of people we prefer the term ...normal.   ... that said, I too support equal civil rights.

Cisgender is a useful word and using normal in this context is insulting to transgender people. 

[RJRS1301]

6 hours ago, daoyai said:

Haha, funny to see someone use the term "cisgender" in a non-ironic context. Luckily that term has never really caught on.  As that refers to 99.9% percent of people we prefer the term ...normal.   ... that said, I too support equal civil rights.

Normal is a cycle on a dishwasher or washing machine, not part of the human experience, since we all differ, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation

Cisgender is a term accepted and used in many  academic circles and in psychology 

 

[daoyai]

15 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Normal is a cycle on a dishwasher or washing machine, not part of the human experience, since we all differ, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation

Cisgender is a term accepted and used in many  academic circles and in psychology 

 

 yes I am sure you will hear "cisgender" in your gender studies class, ... normal in this case meaning those that don't have gender identity issues. ... be they gay or str8. ...a number comprising a super majority...hence normal.

[thaibeachlovers]

44 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Normal is a cycle on a dishwasher or washing machine, not part of the human experience, since we all differ, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation

Cisgender is a term accepted and used in many  academic circles and in psychology 

 

I really, really wish that people would NOT put labels on other people. We're all just people, most of us have something we'd not like to make public and all of us are different to each other.

Can't we just be "people" and be polite to each other? If a guy wants to wear a dress, so what? If people don't like it that's their problem. We've all got used to women dressing like men, so lets accept the visa versa.

What offends me are people that go out of their way to be offended by some triviality.

Seriously, when the world is full of people that can't find enough food or clean water, isn't western society concentrating on the wrong things?

Edited August 12, 2019 by thaibeachlovers