England banned the participation of transgender women in women’s cricket with immediate effect, a day after the country’s football association issued a similar directive, on Friday.
“With immediate effect, only those whose biological sex is female will be eligible to play in women’s cricket and girls’ cricket matches. Transgender women and girls can continue playing in open and mixed cricket,” the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement.
The decision comes weeks after Supreme Court of the United Kingdom decided in the For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers, wherein the court decided the following:
- A ‘woman’ is a biological woman or girl (a person born female)
- A ‘man’ is a biological man or boy (a person born male)
If somebody identifies as trans, they do not change sex for the purposes of the Act, even if they have a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).
- A trans woman is a biological man
- A trans man is a biological woman
The decision had clear ramifications in sports, with trans women barred by the English and Scottish FA. Now, ECB has followed suit.
The FA’s previous policy allowed transgender women to participate in women’s football. This policy was based on the principle of making football accessible to as many people as possible, operating within the law and international football policy set by UEFA and FIFA, and was supported by expert legal advice at the time.
According to a report in the BBC, there are 20 registered transgender women in amateur level but no transgender women in the professional women’s football
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“We acknowledge that this decision will have a significant impact on transgender women and girls. We will work with Recreational Cricket Boards to support people impacted by this change in our regulations.,” the ECB added.
“We await updated guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and will study this carefully. We maintain that abuse or discrimination has no place in our sport and are committed to ensuring that cricket is played in a spirit of respect and inclusivity.”
