Yesterday, October 23, TENI hosted the launch of its Transgender & Intersex Sports Inclusion Policy Guide at Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre. The launch featured a presentation of the guide and the research involved in its creation by James Curry, Sports Inclusion Coordinator at TENI. It was a heart-warming and uplifting event that inspired hope for those in attendance.

TENI, Trans Equality Network Ireland, is a charity whose mission is “to advance equality and inclusion, and improve the lives of trans people and their families.” The presentation of the new guidance was followed by a panel discussion with trans athletes and advocates for trans and intersex inclusion.

The Transgender & Intersex Sports Inclusion Policy Guide comes in the wake of an uptick in discrimination against trans and intersex people in sports. The topic of sports as a vital source of well-being was discussed. Involvement in sports is not only beneficial for physical health but also for mental health and a sense of belonging, which is crucial to overall individual and community wellness.

“They don’t understand the impact it has on us,” said Jenny Behan, former coach for the Special Olympics and current coach of Shamrock Síoga, speaking about the exclusion of trans people from sports and policies that force them into the categories of their assigned at birth gender. She said that at Shamrock Síoga she “can go and just be me, just be Jenny”.

The launch saw representatives from clubs and organisations, including Sporting Pride, Intersex Ireland, Shamrock Síoga, Emerald Warriors, Sport Ireland, Mammies for Trans Rights, and more, convene to support inclusion of trans and intersex athletes in sport in Ireland, not just at an elite level, but perhaps more importantly at an amateur and community level.

 

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Sorcha Ní Fhaolín of Intersex Ireland stated, “I know first-hand how much sport gives – and how quickly doors can close when policies don’t see us. This Guide matters because it centres dignity, evidence and lived experience, and it builds real pathways from grassroots to competition instead of stopping at ‘welcome’.”

Fionn Collins of Sporting Pride spoke of how it is extremely common for trans youth to stop playing sports around the onset of puberty. This contributes to the multitude of factors making life difficult for trans and intersex youth.

Deborah Madden, the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Manager at Golf Ireland, said the exclusion of trans people in sports seems to stem from misogyny. She commented on the lack of rationale in the strict gender binaries in sports and suggested the eradication of gender segregation altogether.

The panellists agreed that the idea that women can compete with men threatens male identity regarding dominance and the systems currently in place. Recent attempts to exclude trans people from sports have resulted in the discrimination of and attempts to exclude cisgender women in sports, too. Forced hormone and gender testing aims to exclude anyone who does not naturally fit into patriarchal and unscientific gender binaries.

Daire Dempsey, Executive Director at TENI, said, “We have seen an increase in disinformation about trans people in sport in recent years, and this Guide, grounded in international evidence, research and best practice, and informed by consultation with the trans and sporting communities in Ireland, works to correct that.”

The policy guide targets this misinformation and the lack of awareness and education around trans and intersex inclusion in sport. Community engagement is cited as “an essential part of TENI’s identity”. The guide aims to tackle obstacles to inclusion for trans and intersex youth as well as adults.

“It gives me hope that more people will be able to share the joy sport has brought me, over my lifetime,” Tara Hewitt, a former university athlete, said of the policy guide. “This policy will go a long way and be a brilliant start […] to educate people that we’re just normal people,” said Jenny Behan.

TENI’s Transgender & Intersex Sports Inclusion Policy Guide is now available online at this link, as part of their Sports Digital Toolkit. The toolkit also includes further specific guides for schools and sports clubs, as well as a policy tracker for Ireland’s sports governing bodies’ policies on trans and intersex participation.

Did you know we have a team of wonderful runners taking part in this year’s Dublin Marathon and raising funds for GCN? You can support our athletes at this link.