By Melissa Coulter Ryan
Hannah Mouncey will not nominate for the upcoming AFLW draft, citing the ongoing "enormous" toll to herself and loved ones in her fight to play at the highest level of women's football.
In a statement on Twitter on Sunday night, in which she released personal medical tests and data she had supplied to the AFL, Mouncey said it was apparent that, despite meeting all necessary requirements, the league had "treated me like shit" and she would not put herself forward for the 2018 AFLW draft.
Hannah Mouncey has withdrawn her nomination for the AFLW draft.Credit: Darrian Traynor
Mouncey has sought to become the first transgender woman to play in the AFLW, and had represented Australia in handball as a male, before her transition.
"I have uploaded all blood tests I have dating back to the end of 2015 until last month, as well as the data I provided the AFL re. athletic data. The reason, is to show the reality of where I sit, to show that this is not because I don't meet their requirements," Mouncey wrote.
"The testosterone data, to show how far below requirements I am. To do otherwise, I would have risked constant speculation about that, and possibly being labelled a cheat for being above, which is not something I can live with.
"Essentially the toll of doing this on my own has been far too great. The AFL has treated me like shit, with every effort made to wear me down to a point where I couldn't continue.
"Eventually, what has gone on behind the scenes will come out, and it paints a sad picture of an organisation with no leadership, who cares only for its corporate image above all else.
"There are a number of things that I can't risk by continuing this fight, which are far more important than football."
The AFL released its gender diversity policy last month, in which it stated that trans women would need "maintenance of testosterone at or below 5 nmol/L for at least two years", "to ensure that the competitive advantage of higher levels of testosterone have dissipated to an acceptable degree at the time the trans or non-binary person proposes to play in the AFLW competition".
It also stated that if the threshold was met, "trans women and non-binary people seeking to nominate for the AFLW draft must produce information including (to the extent available) data regarding their height, weight, bench press, 20m sprint, vertical jump, GPS data and 2km run", and that periodic testing would be ongoing to ensure maintenance of the low testosterone levels.
Mouncey, who was barred from last year's AFLW draft after playing in a women's league in Canberra, has been playing for the Darebin Falcons in the VFLW this year.
The AFL banned Mouncey from the draft last year on the basis of the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act, which states athletes can be discriminated against based on their sex or gender "if strength, stamina or physique is relevant".
Hannah Mouncey playing in the VFLW competition. Credit: Darrian Traynor
Mouncey's testing of her blood-testosterone as far back as 2015 returned an 0.5 nanomoles result, well below the limit. A 190-centimetre tall athlete, she has previously been critical of emphasis on size in the debate, quoting research that shows the hormonal differences are more important to the impact on performance.
"The toll this has taken on the people I care about is enormous, as has the toll it's taken on me. I'm not ok with allowing that to continue. I'm comfortable in the fact that given the chance, I would have done well at the next level," she wrote in her statement on Sunday night.
"I finished second in the goal kicking for the VFL and was in the teams best players in half the games I played.
"I know I can do it, but it's not worth what it's currently costing. I will not be making any other comment at this time."
The policy is the first of its type introduced by the AFL and was formulated after an extensive process that included consultation with the transgender community, the Australian Human Rights Commission, Australian Sports Commission and AFLPA.
AFLW draft nominations can be made between September 3-14 with the draft for the AFLW season to be held in late October.
The AFL declined to comment on Monday, with the league indicating it would not comment until the formal nomination deadline closes at the end of the week.