Trans woman attacks ban on racing against female cyclists as ‘genocide’
TRANSGENDER women were banned yesterday from the female category at all British cycling events.
The sport’s chiefs say they took the decision to ‘safeguard the fairness of competition’.
It ends transgender rider Emily Bridges’ dream of competing for Britain in women’s races and puts pressure on the international federation, the UCI, to strengthen its own rules on the issue.
Bridges responded yesterday by saying she might give up competitive cycling, branding the ban a ‘genocide against us’.
She called British Cycling a ‘failed organisation’ and described its decision as a ‘violent act’.
British Cycling is to change its men’s category to ‘open’, where transgender women can compete against other male-born riders. The female category will be reserved for those who were female at birth.
The policy relates to all competitive activity – any race or event involving timing, ranking or prizes. It comes into force in full by the end of the year. Transgender women will still be allowed to ride with women in non-competitive cycling settings.
‘Our new policies are the product of a robust nine-month review process, which we know will have a very real-world impact for our community both now and in the future,’ said British Cycling chief Jon Dutton.
‘I am confident that we have developed policies that both safeguard the fairness of cyclesport competition, whilst ensuring all riders have opportunities to participate.’
British Cycling’s previous rules allowed transgender women to compete in the female category providing they had lowered their testosterone levels to below five nanomoles per litre over a 12-month period.
However, they suspended that policy in April last year after Bridges, who was previously on Great Britain’s Academy as a male rider, tried to enter the women’s race at the National Omnium Championships. She would have come up against Olympic champion Laura Kenny.
British Cycling then began a consultation with female and transgender riders and reviewed the available medical evidence, concluding that ‘even with the suppression of testosterone, trans women who transition post-puberty retain a performance advantage’.
The governing body also took advice from sports and equality lawyers, Mills & reeve, to ensure the new rules complied with the Equality Act of 2010.
‘I am sorry that it’s taken so long to get to this point,’ said Mr Dutton. ‘We appreciate this has been an incredibly difficult period.
‘But today is about leadership and giving that absolute clarity and direction to remove that uncertainty, however difficult that may be. On the competitive policy, fairness is absolutely the driving factor.’
The UCI allows transgender women to compete in female events as long as they have reduced their testosterone levels to 2.5 nmol/l over a two-year period.
However, following a race victory by a transgender rider, it is ‘reopening consultation’ over its rules and is likely to ban transgender women from the female category.
‘About leadership and clarity’