A recent study conducted by the United Nations, titled” Violence against women and girls in activities”, sheds light on a growing concern within the world of children’s sport. The research, released in August, reveals that by March 30, 2024, over 600 feminine athletes across more than 400 women’s section activities in 29 different activities have lost opportunities, awards, and reputation to female athletes identifying as transgender girls. According to the report, female sportsmen have taken over 890 awards from sexual competitors.
National Review reports on the record, which was created by U. N. Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem, and was just presented to the U. N. General Assembly. It highlighted the growing pattern of transgender-identifying female athletes competing in women’s groups, often leading to the movement of female players from floor finishes and dynamic options.
” The successor of the female activities type with a mixed-sex group has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing options, including awards, when competing against men”, the report says. Advocates for women’s rights in sports are concerned about this displacement because it violates the values of fairness and equity.
At the U. N. event, Alliance Defending Freedom ( ADF) International stood alongside prominent female athletes to urge global leaders to protect women’s sports. Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, U. S. collegiate athlete Lainey Armistead, ADF International CEO Kristen Waggoner, and Alsalem all spoke about the issue. They emphasized that women and girls deserve equal opportunities to compete and succeed in sports, free of any repercussions from male biological advantages.
Alsalem, in her address to the General Assembly, warned of the broader implications of allowing males to compete in women’s sports, noting the increased risks of sexual harassment, assault, and voyeurism in sports arenas, locker rooms, and bathrooms.
Women and girls in sport are experiencing new forms of discrimination based on their sex, Alsalem said.” As patriarchal structures continue to evolve, women and girls in sport are experiencing new forms of discrimination,” Alsalem said. One glaring example is that male athletes are denied access to equal opportunities and the right to participate in sports in accordance with their own safety, dignity, and fairness.
She criticised international and national sports governing bodies for allowing this to continue, with the majority of them requiring only that male athletes meet certain testosterone levels in order to compete in women’s categories. According to Alsalem, these testosterone-based regulations do not address the general physical benefits that male athletes still retain, even with hormone suppression.
In situations involving physical contact or high-risk sports, male athletes ‘ participation in women’s sports have had the worst effects. For example, Payton McNabb, a former high school volleyball player from North Carolina, suffered a severe concussion and other long-term health issues after being struck by a ball spiked by a trans-identifying male player. McNabb testified to the North Carolina legislature in April 2023, recounting how she continues to suffer from impaired vision, partial paralysis, anxiety, and depression as a result of the injury, which ultimately led her to stop competing.
In combat sports, such as boxing, the inclusion of male athletes in women’s categories poses potentially life-threatening risks. USA Boxing, the governing body for Olympic-style amateur boxing, adopted a transgender policy for its 2024 rule book. It enables men who have undergone gender reassignment surgery and have low testosterone levels to compete with women. However, as the U. N. report points out, testosterone suppression does not negate the male physical advantages accumulated through years of male development.
As these policies’ effects become more clearly known, National Review adds that female athletes are becoming more vocal about their pushback. Recently, female soccer players at Hillsboro-Deering High School in New Hampshire canceled a game against Kearsarge Regional High School because Maelle Jacques, a male player, was feared for the other team. A number of varsity team members resisted playing because they worried about a male opponent competing in a full-contact sport.
Alsalem urged sports organizations to incorporate a human rights perspective into their rules, warning that current policies favor impunity and reputation over justice and fairness.