AN AUSTRALIAN Christian lobbyist has argued that it’s unfair for biological women with sporting ambitions to shoulder the identity struggles of trans athletes.
Martyn Iles, the managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby, said a man who “takes advantage and causes injustice for women” should be held responsible regardless of whether “he’s struggling with himself or if he has a complicated history”.
- Biological men who compete in women’s sport labelled “inglorious & shameful”.
- Science is important. Gender cannot trump biology.
- Majority of large Australian sports have allowed transgender athletes.
Mr Iles said people “struggling in themselves,” such as trans people, require “sympathy”, however, he noted that it becomes “another thing if a person starts acting out in such a way that inflicts injustice on other people”.
“That requires condemnation,” he wrote on social media on March 20.
SHAMEFUL
Mr Iles described the recent win of a US transgender athlete in the women’s 500m category at the NCAA swimming championship as “inglorious and shameful”.
He put forward the idea that it should be condemned “no matter how hard the culture resists it”.
The transgender athlete, Lia Thomas, was ranked 462nd in men’s swimming before transitioning to female in 2019 and then going on to set multiple records at women’s meets.
Thomas’ victory at the NCAA on March 17 over Olympic silver medalists Emma Weyant, a biological female, put the debate surrounding trans sportspeople competing in women’s events in the spotlight, prompting the Christian group to speak up.
“God authored the truth about biology and sex, and has shown us how to respect it,” Mr Iles said.
UNFAIR
“And the man who transgresses this limit is doing a grave wrong which needs to be called out.”
Amid growing concerns that biological male athletes would enjoy unfair advantages if participating in women’s sports, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has urged the International Olympic Committee to impose regulations for trans athletes across every sport.
“There is no question to me that testosterone is the key determinant in performance,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“You can’t be oblivious to public sentiment, of course not. But science is important. Gender cannot trump biology,” he said.
On March 21, Virginia tech swimmer Reka Gyorgy released a statement accusing Thomas of taking her spot and arguing that for “every event that transgender athletes competed in” one spot was taken “away from biological females”.
ALLOWED
In Australia, the majority of large sporting organisations have allowed transgender athletes to compete in women’s categories.
On February 10, Tasmanian Liberal Senator Claire Chandler introduced a bill to the Senate which would make it legal to ask a male competitor not to play in the female category.
The legislation was backed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who described it as a “terrific bill.” PC
‘…make it legal to ask a male competitor not to play in the female category.’ Er no, it should be male competitors are banned from competing in woman’s sport at all levels, forever. Anything else is weak weasel words. As is to be expected from Morrison.