Susie O’Brien: Why shrill politicking missing point on trans athletes

Australia is not awash with brawny males seeking to win races against tiny women and girls — and that’s the point being missed amid the screeching trans athlete debate.

The furious debate about the inclusion of transgender athletes makes it appear that competitive sport in Australia is awash with brawny, large males seeking to win races against tiny women and girls.

The reality is very different, and we must not lose sight of this as the election campaign enters another week.

Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves kicked off the hate-fest with vile comments about transgender people and the threat they pose for women and girls’ sport.

Spurred on by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and a campaign-weary media, female swimmers weighed in on the issue.

These included Olympic superstar swimmer Emma McKeon who said she doesn’t want to compete against “someone who is biologically a male”.

Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves is conveniently ignoring the fact that no one is trying to allow men to play women’s sport. Picture: Facebook

I don’t blame her for saying this – who would? But the point that’s being missed is that no one is suggesting she should. It’s unlikely she will ever have to, and even McKeon herself has made this point.

“I don’t think I’m going to have to race against a trans swimmer, I don’t think it’s going to come to that point,” she said in one interview.

She’s right. You wouldn’t know it from the public debate, but there is no group of people pushing for trans women to have the right to compete against other women regardless of their size or strength.

There isn’t a push for biological males to compete against biological females. Deves is part of a well-organised and vocal group standing up for the right of women and girls, and yet their rights are already being protected by formal sporting bodies. Deves and her cronies are conveniently ignoring the fact that no one is trying to allow men to play women’s sport. There are extensive safeguards already in place to stop this from happening.

The 2019 Sport Australia, Australian Human Rights Commission and the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports guidelines commit to the inclusion of trans people in sport. The policy has an important element that’s been overlooked by many: a clause that states that competitive sports in which strength, stamina or physique is important can operate single-sex competitions. There is an explicit commitment to a level playing field that restricts competition only to those who can “effectively compete against each other”.

It recognises that biological differences between men and women can affect this ability to compete fairly. As VCAT has defined it, an exemption will operate if the competition would be uneven because of the disparity between relative strength, stamina and physique of male and female competitors competing against each other.

Emma McKeon says she doesn’t want to compete against ‘someone who is biologically a male’ but says she doesn’t think it will come to that. Picture: Adam Head

The guidelines, adopted by the AFL, Cricket Australia, Netball Australia, Tennis Australia and other bodies, cover more than 9 million participants through 16,000 clubs. Other bodies governing soccer, golf, swimming and athletics have similar policies. In athletics there is an extensive eligibility process for any athlete over the age of 12 which involves multiple expert panels and doctors. The IOC has recently backed this approach, which has been in place for the last few years without fanfare.

A transgender woman who was formerly male must adhere to strict size, strength and testosterone guidelines before she can compete. And if she is too big or too strong, then she will be rejected.

Sure, there is more that needs to be done, and the case of US transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has spurred Swimming Australia to further clarify their guidelines to ensure fairness as well as inclusivity.

But these moves were already underway before Deves and her anti-trans sentiments hit the public stage. Kieren Perkins, CEO of the Australian Sports Commission, says the issue is “not the highest priority”.

It’s because there are only a handful of transgender athletes, let alone those who are performing at competitive levels. Of the last 71,000 Olympians, only two were trans women – neither of whom came close to winning their events.

Transgender rugby player Caroline Layt says, there needs to be rules or guidelines. Picture: Jonathan Ng

As transgender rugby player Caroline Layt says, there needs to be rules or guidelines, but there are very few trans women competing professionally, so this can easily be done. This vital point is being missed amid the screeching on both sides: trans women do not pose an active threat to women or girls in sport. On one side we’ve got Deves’ opponent Zali Steggall calling parents worried about their kids playing against larger and stronger transgender athletes “transphobic”.

I don’t agree with her: they are probably just worried about the safety of their kids and don’t understand the protections already in place.

On the other side, conservative political group Advance has funded a billboard with the faces of swimmers Dawn Fraser, Emily Seebohm and Emma McKeon and the words: “Women’s sport is not for men”. They ignore the fact that no one is saying it should be. Then there’s Deves, who’s not just standing up for women and girls, but standing against transgender people. Her vile, divisive comments about a vulnerable group can’t be apologised away or taken back. If Deves really wants to do more for females in sport, she could address the issues that matter – equal access to playing grounds, training staff, harassment, facilities, equipment and change rooms. Not transgender rights.

Susie O’Brien is a Herald Sun columnist