Winning on #XXDay
Why yesterday's instruction to Sports NZ regarding transgender inclusion guidelines is a big deal that we should celebrate
What’s happened?
Sports Minister, Chris Bishop, just sent Sport NZ back to rewrite its 2022 Guiding Principles for the Inclusion of Transgender People. Good job.
What are the Guiding Principles?
The Principles document, as it stands, is not really about ensuring transgender people are included in sports at all. It is a step-by-step propaganda manual compelling members of sports clubs and groups around the country to adopt a reality-defying set of ideas, to overwrite women’s safety, fairness and consent, to deny freedom of thought and speech, and to punish dissent.
The Principles do say that trans people must be included in sports. That’s fine in itself. No one decent opposes that, but wait! The Principles explain, in painstaking pseudo-diversity speak, that the only way to be inclusive of trans people is if community sports clubs and groups put the following things in place.
Males who identify as girls or women must be accepted by everyone in the club as female1.
Male athletes who identify as female must be allowed onto female sports teams.
Male athletes who identify as female must be welcomed into female showers, changing rooms, toilets and, when teams travel, into female dorms and bunk rooms.
If anyone complains about any of this, then, that’s not to be acknowledged as stemming from legitimate concern for or by girls and women, Rather, it is to be labelled harassment or bullying with the alleged perpetrator facing appropriate consequences.
Clubs and groups must hold re-education sessions to rid any club members of lingering faith in the ideas of biological reality, freedom of thought, and safety or fairness to women and girls.
Enough, I’ve written about this nonsensical document before. For now, we can be pleased that Chris Bishop has instructed Sports NZ to rewrite the guidelines with a view to fairness and safety as well as to inclusion and diversity.
Bishop says “I have come to the view that the Guiding Principles do not reflect legitimate community expectations that sport at a community level should not just be focused on diversity, inclusion and equity – but also prioritise fairness and safety.”
How did we get here?
The move comes after many years of campaigning by Save Women’s Sports Australasia and a NZ First election promise. Bishop will also be heeding last week’s letter signed by 59 prominent NZ sportspeople including many Olympians, urging the rethink of the Sport NZ guidelines. The letter said, “Male-bodied athletes are undeniably advantaged when matched against females.”
He’ll also be aware that public support for biological males who identify as women competing in women’s sports is dropping. A Curia poll in March 2022 showed 27% of New Zealanders thought males should be able to compete as females. The same question asked in March 2023 reaped only 16% support. A 2023 Talbot Mills poll showed only 14% support.
Bishop may or may not also be aware of the report on women and girls in sports presented to the UN General Assembly this week by Reem Alsalem, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls. Alsalem says '“When eligibility norms are deliberately violated and when the risk of injury to athletes is knowingly increased, the physical harms sustained can be characterized as ‘violence’.“
Alsalem also talks of the barriers to female participation in sports and the risks to women when male athletes are included in their teams. She documents the ways that girls and women are losing out on opportunities when male athletes claim to be female. Alsalem calls for a reintroduction of sex testing, which can be achieved with a simple cheek swab test, for female athletes. If such a policy had been in place before the Olympics, the women’s boxing debacle would never have happened.
Why should we celebrate?
It’s not over til it’s over, and we’ll all be keeping a close eye on Sport NZ’s interpretation of the instructions. But there are already some big wins in Chris Bishop even making the announcement.
I’m thinking of these wins in light of Helen Joyce’s excellent speech at the recent Genspect conference. Relevant to this conversation. Joyce discusses focus groups run by Sex Matters which revealed the issues where most members of the public already agree with sex realist campaigners. Those issues are child gender medicine and sports. Joyce shows how public common sense and clear-sightedness on these two issues are stepping stones that will help us dismantle the entire gender regime.
Inspired by that, I want to point out how Bishop’s instructions represent a win for women and for reality-based campaigners. It’s worth celebrating! We can work with these:
The issue is being covered in the media. Albeit with predictable biases, it’s at least an open-ish conversation.
On this issue, the government (via Bishop’s statement), the public and the 50+ prominent athletes all recognise that women and girls are part of a distinct biological class (females). If it’s true in sports, it’s true everywhere.
The government, the 50+ prominent athletes, and the public recognise that trans rights activists’ demands for inclusion and diversity sometimes directly conflict with women’s and girls’ rights. Again, if it’s true for sports, we can show it’s true elsewhere.
The public will be able to see the consistent, insistent and persistent misogyny of those opposed to a rewrite. What kind of people are opposed to protecting women and girls and actively slander those who campaign for fairness and safety?
Finally, a huge shout out to Save Women’s Sports Australasia and all of those who have been relentlessly campaigning for this. Scandalous that you’ve received the blunt end of the bullshit. Onward. XX
Sources
Guiding Principles for the Inclusion of Transgender People, Sport NZ, 2022.
Sport NZ Asked To Update Transgender Inclusion Guiding Principles, [Press Release], Hon Chris Bishop, New Zealand Government, 9/10/24.
Government asks Sport NZ to update trans-inclusive community sport guidelines, RNZ, 9/10/24.
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop asked Sport NZ to review, update transgender inclusion principles, NZ Herald, 9/10/24.
Sporting champs seek review of Sport NZ transgender guidelines, 11/9/2024 (includes text of letter).
March 8th 2023-IWD Poll results, Save Women’s Sports Australasia, 2023.
Race relations among most divisive issues in election – poll, Newsroom, 3/11/23. (includes polling on males in female sports).
What will it take to return to reality?, Helen Joyce, 2024.
Save Women’s Sports Australasia
Related stories on THE MINISTRY HAS FALLEN
Sport NZ falls like SO hard
NZ media punches down on women
The statements talk about people being allowed on any team of the gender they identify with, but as the implications are so much worse for women I’m clarifying where the real problems are by focusing on males playing in female teams and being able to enter female spaces.
Inclusiveness is one of those stardust words right that is so sparkly it has blinded people to actual exclusion and prejudice going on.
Brilliant work as ever, Garwhoungle, and quite the magic milestone of progress for this silly little, once rather great - for its size - country. This forecast, in particular, is so clear and hopeful I was almost aroused by it: 'Joyce shows how public common sense and clear-sightedness on these two issues are stepping stones that will help us dismantle the entire gender regime', especially the last bit. PLEASE let it be true. Thanks again and a very happy #XXDay to you.