PM agrees with Warringah candidate on trans women competing in female sports

Scott Morrison has flagged a law change around trans women playing in female sports, with an AFLW hopeful slamming the PM as uncaring.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has left the door open to introducing laws that would ban trans women from competing in female sports.

It comes after Mr Morrison on Monday endorsed the campaign of the Liberals Warringah candidate, Katherine Deves, who opposes trans-women competing in female sports.

Mr Morrison said Ms Deves had raised “very important issues” and was “standing up for things she believes in”.

“I share her views on those topics,” Mr Morrison said on radio.

“We will have more to say about that at another time …”

But transgender athletes and just who should compete in women’s sports has become a global discussion and tinderbox.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson weighed into the debate last week when he said “biological males” should not compete in women’s sports.

“Maybe that is a controversial thing to say, but it just seems to me to be sensible,” Mr Johnson said.

Lia Thomas’s victory at NCAA swimming finals in Atlanta – the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming title, also sparked outrage including from tennis legend Martina Navratilova who said an asterisk should be put beside her name.

Harry Potter author J.K Rowling was also slammed and called transphobic after a controversial essay published on her website in June 2020.

Stating that she was a survivor of sexual assault and domestic abuse, she said: “So I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe.

“When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman … then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside.”

Ms Deves is the co-founder of the Save Women’s Sport organisation which pressures sporting organisations to ban trans women from female sports and create a separate category for them to participate in.

But equality advocates blasted the Prime Minister, including transgender footballer Hannah Mouncey who after years of campaigning, walked away from her dream to play AFLW.

Mouncey, 32, said: “Scott Morrison has never cared about women before, why is he caring now?”

Transgender footballer Hannah Mouncey.Picture: Jason Edwards

“Of all the concerns women have and are passionate about, this is not one of them.

“I am exhausted … if it’s good enough for the Olympics, that we play, it should be good enough for Scott Morrison.

“We just want to be allowed to play.”

At the Tokyo Olympics last year, the first openly trans woman, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard competed.

National LGBTIQ+ group Equality Australia hit back at Mr Morrison’s comments, warning parties and candidates to stop using LGBTIQ+ people as a “political football”.

“The political parties that wish to form government this coming election must commit to governing for all Australians, and to ensuring that every person in Australia can live their life, with dignity and respect, no matter who they are, or whom they love,” chief executive Anna Brown said.

A Labor spokesperson said sports can choose to run single-sex sporting competitions, or they can choose to include trans women, under the Sex Discrimination Act.

“It’s up to the sports organisations – whether it’s a grassroots or professional competition.

Sports organisations do a great job of running their competitions and programs right across the country. Everyone should have the chance to enjoy the health and social benefits of sport.”

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