Football v Homophobia ‘deeply saddened’ by news of trans bans in England and Scotland
Pride Sports, which runs the Football v Homophobia campaign and its Football v Transphobia strand, has expressed grave disappointment after the English and Scottish FAs announced a ban on trans women playing women’s football, from June 1 – read the statement below…
The Football v Homophobia campaign will continue to advocate for the inclusion of trans women in women’s football, following announcements by the English and Scottish FAs that bans will restrict their involvement in the game from next season.
The two national football associations released statements on Thursday morning confirming, as expected, that their existing policies would be changing in light of the recent UK Supreme Court ruling on the legal definitions of words in the Equality Act.
Pride Sports, which runs the Football v Homophobia and Football v Transphobia campaigns, is deeply saddened by today’s announcements by the English FA and Scottish FA that transgender women and girls will no longer be allowed to play affiliated women and girls’ football in England and Scotland from the start of next season.
The current policies have operated on a longstanding, case-by-case basis and have been widely welcomed in women’s football communities.
It is clear these abrupt changes have been made on legal advice following the recent UK Supreme Court ruling, as there remains no football-specific peer-reviewed research or evidence that shows the existing policies constitute a safety risk.
Across both England and Scotland, we understand there are less than 30 trans women active in the women’s game, the majority having been playing for a number of years without incident.
Within weeks, they will lose not just their familiar place in football but the many physical and mental health benefits that come from being part of a welcoming team environment. We commiserate with the players, their teammates, and all those impacted.
This decision makes the English FA and the SFA outliers in terms of trans inclusion in the game, with many other European countries, Canada, Australia and New Zealand allowing trans women to play.
One consequence of these bans will, inevitably, be a rise in incidents of transphobia in football, which the most recent set of reporting statistics from Kick It Out shows is already rising.
It is imperative that football authorities continue to demonstrate a zero tolerance to transphobic abuse, noting that this type of discrimination does not just affect trans people.
We will continue to campaign for ‘Football for Everyone’, providing education on how the existing inclusion policies already work successfully and have majority support in the women’s game.
Our calls to action will follow.
Watch Football v Transphobia campaign lead Natalie Washington discussing the English FA ban on Sky Sports News on Thursday morning…
Discover more content in our dedicated Football v Transphobia section.
Sports Media LGBT+ is a network, advocacy, and consultancy group that is helping to build a community of LGBTQ+ people and allies in sport. We’re also a digital publisher and can help with your content requirements. Learn more about us here.
We’re interested in your news and stories. Share with us and tap into a worldwide audience through our Google News affiliate website which attracts thousands of visitors, and our popular social channels. Contact us to discuss how we can help you.
