World Rugby advises banning transgender women over significant safety concerns

In what ought to be common sense, the released a 38-page document detailed by its working group on transgenderism that acknowledged that there is likely to be “at least a 20-30% greater risk” of physical injury when a female player is tackled by a person who is biologically male.

The Guardian revealed that the document, which cites the latest science on transgenderism, shows that trans women retain “significant” physical advantages over their biologically female counterparts regardless of whether they undergo hormone replacement therapy to lower their testosterone.

“Current policies regulating the inclusion of transgender women in sport are based on the premise that reducing testosterone to levels found in biological females is sufficient to remove many of the biologically-based performance advantages,” the draft says. “However, peer-reviewed evidence suggests this is not the case.”

“Ciswomen players (who do not undergo androgenisation during development) who are participating with and against transwomen (who do undergo androgenisation during development) are at a significantly increased risk of injury because of the contact nature of rugby.”

Following these results, the World Rugby working group advises against continuing its current rules, which allow for transgender women to participate against women. Under the current regulation, transgender individuals are allowed to play if they lower their testosterone levels to an acceptable level for at least 12 months, per the Olympic Committee’s guidelines.

The group says that the rules are “not fit for purpose.”

The Guardian suggests that the proposals are likely to be seen by women’s groups as a new approach to the issue of trans inclusion that’s based on science, and not feelings. The group is expecting to get a backlash from trans activist groups, and so notes that it will be willing to reconsider its decision should new science emerge.