PM endorses ban on trans women in single sex sports

Scott Morrison has endorsed a ‘terrific’ bill that would exclude trans-women from playing single sex sports.

Scott Morrison speaks to reporters. Picture: Adam Taylor

Scott Morrison has thrown his support behind a bill to exclude trans-women from playing single-sex sports in a move that has further angered equality advocates.

Liberal Tasmanian senator Claire Chandler last year called for a ban on transgender women competing in women’s sports, and introduced a private member’s bill titled “Save Women’s Sports” to parliament earlier in February.

“It is unacceptable that commonwealth laws threaten sports clubs and associations with legal action for offering single-sex sporting events and competition exclusively for females,” she said at the time.

“The Sex Discrimination and Other Legislation Amendment (Save Women’s Sport) Bill 2022 I am introducing today will make clear that single-sex sport for women is lawful, encouraged and supported by the parliament of Australia.”

It comes as debate over transgender women competing in professional sport was reignited after transgender female swimmer Lia Thomas broke numerous records during an Ivy League Championship swimming event at Harvard University on Thursday.

Thomas, a 22-year-old University of Pennsylvania swimmer, started her transition in 2019 and has undergone hormone replacement therapy during that time.

The Prime Minister on Tuesday backed Senator Chandler’s proposal during a press conference in the marginal seat of Lyons in Tasmania. “I support her … I think it is a terrific bill and I’ve given her great encouragement,” he said.

“Claire is a champion for women’s sport and I think she has been right to raise these issues in the way that she has.”

When asked if the bill would be adopted as official policy or debated in parliament, a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister left the door open to pursuing the issue after the election.

“Following standard practice, the bill was considered by the joint Senate partyroom before it was introduced,” she said.

“There is no opportunity for the bill to be debated during this term of parliament.”

Labor did not respond when asked about the party’s view on Mr Morrison’s comments.

Senator Chandler said she was pleased the Prime Minister had supported her bill, which she said would give “women and girls the right to play single-sex sport”.

Two-time Olympian and five-time Commonwealth Games medallist Deborah Acason, a champion weightlifter, supported Senator Chandler’s bill and said she wanted the next generation of women and girls to be “given the opportunity of competing on a fair playing field”.

Advocacy group Save Women’s Sport said it was concerned that “male athletes (are) being entitled to compete in the women’s category despite significant performance advantages in speed, size, stamina and strength due to their biological sex”.

Equality advocates slammed the bill and called for it to be denounced in parliament.

Equality Australia chief executive Anna Brown said “sport should be for everyone”.

“That’s why teams around the country have included trans and gender diverse people for decades, working hard to ensure that every team member is treated with dignity and respect, and that everyone can play a fair game,” she said.

“Senator Chandler’s bill is not just unnecessary, it’s cruel and divisive. In offering public support for this bill, the Prime Minister is once again making the lives of trans and gender diverse kids the subject of political and media ­debate.”

Equality Tasmania spokesman Charlie Burton said the bill would “strip transgender people of the right to live as we are”.

“In the past few weeks, the Prime Minister has shown a complete lack of empathy for trans and gender diverse Australians and now he is using us as a political football,” Dr Burton said.

“We completely reject the cynical abuse of trans people as a weapon in the Prime Minister’s political and electoral game playing.”

It follows fierce division within the Coalition and across parliament over the Religious Discrimination Bill, which would not have shielded trans-children from discrimination.

Coalition MP Bridget Archer said she would oppose the bill and was “horrified” that it would not protect transgender children.