Trans inclusion in female sport: bodies, sex, and gender identity

Global sports policy is in a state of extreme flux this summer, over the challenge of including trans people in sexed categories. In particular. the inclusion of male-bodied athletes, who identity as women (or transwomen, hereafter TW) is posing difficulties for international governing bodies such as FINA (swimming) and the UCI (cycling). The IOC itself has abdicated responsibility for deciding on policy.

Here, the clash between sex and gender identity seems particularly sharp. The T-level fix – which sought to reconcile fairness with inclusion by requiring that TW reduced their levels of testosterone – is widely seen as a failure. In its place, ad hoc conceptions of ‘meaningful competition’, ‘disproportionate advantage’, and ‘tolerable unfairness’ have been foregrounded. Others have argued from a ‘human right to sport’ to justify the inclusion of TW in female sport.

Dr Pike will argue that these paths are dead ends for securing fair and maximally inclusive competitive sport. He will present an alternative view, one that has been (part-)endorsed by the Sports Councils Equality Group for the existence of two categories: a Female category and an Open one.

This event will be recorded.

Speaker:

Dr Jon Pike is a Senior Lecturer and Staff Tutor in Philosophy at The Open University. He is an expert in the ethics of sport and an expert consultant to, inter alia: the World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Olympic Committee, World Rugby, British Triathlon, UK Anti-Doping, US Power-Lifting, the Sport Councils Equality Group, and the UK Parliament.

Safety, fairness, and inclusion: transgender athletes and the essence of Rugby has the highest download figures (22.5k) for a single authored paper in the Journal of the Philosophy of Sport.

Jon is the Convener of The Open University Gender Critical Research Network.