Nats accept petition targeting trans women
A petition from an organisation which calls for trans women to be excluded from women’s sport has been presented to Parliament and accepted by National.
The petition from ‘Save Women’s Sports Australasia’ calls for more consultation on a draft set of principles produced by Sport New Zealand.
The Green Party argues the petition is an attempt to scaremonger about elite sports, when the draft set of guidelines only covers community-level sport.
The principles, obtained by Stuff, are explicitly scoped to cover community sport, with the body noting that elite level sports are guided by international codes set outside of New Zealand. The principles emphasise inclusion, stating ‘‘transgender players have the right to play in the gender that they identify with’’.
Save Woman’s Sports Australasia gathered 5311 signatures for the petition, calling for wider consultation on the guidelines, saying Sports NZ was focused on inclusion over the ramifications for ‘‘female athletes’’ that deserved a ‘‘fair and safe competition and safe spaces away from male bodies’’. While the petition only calls for wider consultation, the group has argued that trans women should be treated as men for sports with gendered competitions.
The group also organised an open letter from several prominent Olympians arguing for more consultation.
The group’s New Zealand spokeswoman Ro Edge said she was concerned that Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson was prioritising ‘‘inclusion over all else’’.
‘‘We believe both the coverage and the feedback shows that Kiwis do want to have a say in this process, and that maybe what Sport New Zealand has
proposed isn’t right for New Zealand.’’
Green Party rainbow spokeswoman Elizabeth Kerekere said the group was attempting to create a ‘‘story from nothing’’ by conflating community-level sport with elite level codes.
‘‘The actual work that’s happening in this country is very much focused on schools and local clubs, that is just making sure people can participate who want to participate. So many of our trans non-binary and intersex young people have so few places to go to, and they’re excluded from something which is a normal experience for any child growing up in this country,’’ Kerekere said.
‘‘When you start conflating it with elite sports and Olympics, and with somebody has the right to call themselves a woman and participate in women’s sports, because they’re trans – that’s a completely different thing.
‘‘We have no control over what is being done at the Olympics, but also a lot of our elite sports in this country are representatives sports that are completely governed by international bodies. So we have to follow those rules.’’
National MP and sport spokesman Mark Mitchell said National wanted to make sure sport ‘‘remained free and safe for all participants’’.
‘‘I just want to say that we’re very proud to be out here today as a caucus to support you in this petition and to make sure the government and Sport New Zealand actually listen.’’
Robertson said he had offered Mitchell a briefing on the matter and the document was an ‘‘ongoing piece of consultation’’.
Save Woman’s Sports Australasia gathered 5311 signatures for the petition.