Tom Daley has warned that “something monumental will happen” if the so-called “debate” over trans athletes in elite sport escalates further. The diver, who won his fourth (and first gold) Olympic medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, has previously spoken out against bans that prohibit trans athletes to compete in elite sports. FINA (the administrative
trans athletes
Protestor holds ‘Trans Lives Matter’ placard during protest in Warsaw, 2018. (Getty/Maciej Luczniewski) Within the first week of 2022, seven US states have proposed nine bills that would roll back the rights of trans and non-binary youth. These proposed bills will negatively impact trans and non-binary youths’ right to privacy, restrict their ability to take
Kumi Yokoyama #17 of the Washington Spirit warms up during a game against the Houston Dash on 31 October 2021 in Washington, DC. (Getty/Brad Smith/ISI Photos) Trans footballer Kumi Yokoyama has called out Japan for “lagging behind the rest of the world” on awareness of LGBT+ issues and rights. Yokoyama came out publicly as a
As it emerges that swimmers on the University of Pennsylvania’s women’s team are considering a boycott against their trans teammate, Lia Thomas, it’s worth remembering the long history of sports boycotts. From sporting boycotts against South Africa during the apartheid era to Venus and Serena Williams boycotting a prestigious California tournament after crowds shouted racist
Tom Daley. (Channel 4) Tom Daley used his Alternative Christmas Message to throw down the gauntlet on trans inclusion. The Olympic diver pre-recorded a speech for Channel 4 as an alternative to the Queen’s annual address. Both air Christmas Day (25 December). The theme of his message was inclusion. Daley, one of sports most prominent
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has broken United States records (University of Pennsylvania) Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has broken United States records in two races over the weekend. The 22-year-old student from Austin, Texas, competed in the Zippy Invitational in Ohio where she smashed two records in the 200m and 500m freestyles. The University of Pennsylvania
Texas governor Greg Abbott signed into law House Bill 25 which bans trans athletes from playing on school sports teams that align with their gender identity. (Getty/Lynda M. Gonzalez-Pool) Texas governor Greg Abbott has signed into law a bill banning trans athletes from playing on school sports teams that align with their gender identities. House
The Olympic rings outside the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty) The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has once again delayed its transgender guidelines for sport because of “very conflicting opinions”. The new guidelines for international sports federations are not expected to be released until after the Beijing Winter Olympics in February
Fumino Sugiyama, a transgender man and former fencer, says he was forced out of fencing because of transphobia. (Instagram/@fuminosugiyama) Former elite fencer Fumino Sugiyama has opened up about deciding to quit his career in sport because of transphobia. Sugiyama told Bloomberg that he was a member of Japan’s national women’s fencing team before he started
Canoeist Haley Daniels will see her trans mother judge her at the Tokyo Olympics. (Koki Nagahama/Getty Images) A Canadian judge has become the Olympic Games’ first-ever openly trans official – and she even has a daughter competing. At the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, more openly LGBT+ athletes will dive, sprint, cycle and throw than ever
A giant trans flag unfurled outside the US Supreme Court. (Photo by Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images) West Virginia must pause enforcement of a new law that prohibits trans women and girls from participating in sports after a trans youth challenged the vile law. The West Virginia ban was “proudly” signed into law by Republican
Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed the anti-trans sports bill into law. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty) The parents of a 13-year-old girl have launched a federal lawsuit to challenge Florida’s reviled ban on trans girls taking part in school sports. Mounted by the Human Rights Campaign, one of the largest LGBT+ advocacy groups in the US,
WWE legend Mickie James has come out swinging for trans rights after Arkansas passed legislation banning trans athletes. Mickie Laree James-Aldis, who wrestles under the name Mickie James, has won six WWE women’s championship titles, making her the 12th greatest female wrestling superstar in the company’s history, according to the WWE Network. So when she
Joe Biden speaks at the State Department in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2021. (Saul Oeb/AFP/Getty) The Biden administration has withdrawn government support for a federal lawsuit seeking to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ high school sports. The lawsuit in Connecticut was filed by several cis runners who argue they’ve been deprived of
The idea that trans athletes have an advantage over cis ones is not supported by science (Pexels/Snapwire) Mississippi has voted overwhelmingly in favour of banning trans athletes from school sports, ignoring all evidence proving that such bans are harmful and unscientific. The state’s Senate, which is controlled by Republicans, passed the discriminatory bill in a
Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon, 2019. (Visionhaus/Getty Images) Tennis bigot Martina Navratilova is calling on Joe Biden to introduce special rules that would prevent trans people from gaining a foothold in elite sports. Navratilova, a vocal opponent of trans inclusion in sport, has in the past supported laws that would ban trans girls from participating in
The paid anti-trans advert claimed that the Equality Act will “destroy girls’ sports”. (American Principles Project/ Facebook) Facebook has removed a paid political advert by an anti-trans think tank claiming that trans athletes will “destroy girls’ sports”. The advert is part of a “dangerous” $4 million campaign by the conservative American Principles Project (APP) aiming
In the middle of a global crisis, Republican Idaho governor Brad Little is focusing on attacking trans people In the midst of a global pandemic, Republican Idaho governor Brad Little has effectively declared open season on trans people in his state. On Monday, Little signed two laws that campaigners say effectively make trans people second-class