Sport
Bodies Matter in Sport
Women's Sport is Still New
The right of women to women-only sport was hard-won. Before the twentieth century, organised sports were only for men. We all cheered for the Matildas in last year’s Women’s World Cup, but before 1974, there was no official organization for women’s soccer in this country at all.
Males and Females Perform Differently in Sport
Studies show that males have a physical advantage in sport. During puberty, male bodies are infused with testosterone, causing them to grow in size and add muscle. Males have narrower pelvises than females, making their running more efficient.
The recent International Olympic Committee (IOC) (2015) guidelines allow transwomen [males] to compete in the women’s division if (amongst other things) their testosterone is held below 10 nmol/L. This is significantly higher than that of cis-women [females]. Science demonstrates that high testosterone and other male physiology provides a performance advantage in sport suggesting that transwomen retain some of that advantage. - Knox T, Anderson LC, Heather A, Transwomen in elite sport: scientific and ethical considerationsJournal of Medical Ethics 2019;45:395-403
Female sport destroyed by males
The increasing inclusion of male people in female sport destroys opportunities for women in sport – opportunities that are still much more rare than opportunities men have access to. Female and male people cannot compete equally in contests of physical strength. Even males with lowered testosterone still have the advantage of height, a more robust skeleton, greater lung capacity, and retained muscle-power advantage.
Inclusion of males in female sports is based on a study of only 8 male athletes. The website nequals8.com has the full story.
She Won
SheWon.org honours women and girls who have lost records, opportunities, scholarships and trophies
The website shewon.org has now documented 800 times worldwide when women have missed out on medals due to men’s participation in their sport – most of these in the last 2 years. Women deserve women-only sport, for fairness and equity
Fairness and Inclusion
Did You Know Many Australian Sports Are Unfair?
Did you know that many Australian sporting bodies allow
males to compete against females?
Did you know that some policies allow men to simply self identify as a woman to qualify for women's sports?
Did you know that men's physical advantages over women
are retained even after testosterone suppression?
Sport Must Be Fair to be Inclusive
It is not fair that men are competing against women in sporting competitions, clubs, and leagues across Australia.
It is not fair that women risk physical harm by competing against men, who are on average physically larger and stronger.
It is not fair that women miss out on podium finishes, prizes, and scholarships as men take their sporting opportunities.
It is not fair that women and girls are expected to share sporting change rooms with males. It is not fair that the "women's category" of sport no longer protects the inclusion, safety, and dignity of women and girls
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