Should sex matter in sport? The transgender athlete Emily Bridges is not allowed to compete against other women. Now she is planning to fight the decision.
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'I was banned from cycling because I'm trans'
Should sex matter in sport? The transgender athlete Emily Bridges is not allowed to compete against other women. Now she is planning to fight the decision.
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What's happening?
Emily Bridges started cycling when she was nine years old. As she got older, she won more and more competitions.
In 2020, she came out as a transgenderSomeone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology). woman. But in 2022, she was told she could not compete in the women's section of a key cycling competition.
Some believe that transgenderSomeone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology). women should not be allowed to compete against cisgenderA person whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth. The term was first used in academic articles in the 1990s. women. They argue that anyone who has gone through male pubertyThe time in a person's life when they go through physical and hormonal changes, changing from being a child to being an adult. has a natural advantageSomething (such as a good position or condition) that helps to make someone or something better or more likely to succeed than others.. Others say this is not always true.
For now, scientists are divided.
Find out more
Some have suggested there should be three categories: two for cisgender men and women, and one open category for transgender sportspeople. But transgender people make up just 0.5% of all people in the UK - so in many sports, it may be a category with not many entries.
Should sex matter in sport?
Yes! We split sports into men's and women's sports for a reason. We need to make sure that sports is fair to cisgender women - and that means that there will be strict rules about who can compete in the women's category.
No! Transgender people should be allowed to compete in the category that they fits their gender identityHow a person feels about their gender - whether they feel like a man, a woman or somewhere in between. . It is not fair to ban them from taking part in competitions.
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Keywords
Transgender - Someone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology).
Cisgender - A person whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth. The term was first used in academic articles in the 1990s.
Puberty - The time in a person's life when they go through physical and hormonal changes, changing from being a child to being an adult.
Advantage - Something (such as a good position or condition) that helps to make someone or something better or more likely to succeed than others.
Gender identity - How a person feels about their gender - whether they feel like a man, a woman or somewhere in between.
‘I was banned from cycling because I’m trans’
Powering on: Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges, one of British Vogue’s “25 powerhouse women”. Glossary
Transgender - Someone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology).
Cisgender - A person whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth. The term was first used in academic articles in the 1990s.
Puberty - The time in a person's life when they go through physical and hormonal changes, changing from being a child to being an adult.
Advantage - Something (such as a good position or condition) that helps to make someone or something better or more likely to succeed than others.
Gender identity - How a person feels about their gender — whether they feel like a man, a woman or somewhere in between.