The Argentinian football club Villa San Carlos has signed its first ever transgender player for the top women’s league, Primera Division A.
Funny how it’s always for the women’s league.
As well as being the first for the club, Argentine striker Mara Gomez, 22, will also be the first transgender woman ever to play in an official Argentine FA tournament.
Gomez previously played for Toronto City* and the amateur league side Malvinas, where she won two league titles and became the club’s top goalscorer.
A picture of her standing next to another of the team’s newest acquisitions, Ludmila Angeli, went viral as a piece of the country’s footballing history.
Possibly because Gomez towers over Angeli.
“Being able to be in professional football represents a historical struggle,” she told EN24. “Just as women’s football fought for professionalisation, we all fight for the right to achieve a football in which we can all participate.”
Except of course women’s football won’t be women’s football for much longer if men who identify as women are allowed to play against women.
Throughout her sporting career Gomez has faced critics who believe that, as a transgender woman, she has an advantage over the cis female players – but she says this is never a factor.
“The physical difference is not real,” she said. “There are a lot of players with much more strength and speed than me and they are not men. It has nothing to do with it.”
Also, if you drop a ball, it will fall upwards.
Villa San Carlos are currently bottom of the league with only one point and are yet to win a game – but all that could change when Gomez and Angeli make their debut against league leaders Boca Juniors.
Yes it could.
*Updating to add: Toronto City is a youth league in Buenos Aires. H/t Rob in comments.
Comments
14 responses to ““The physical difference is not real,” she said”
Now, the puzzling thing about that is that Toronto City FC went out of business in 1968, and the name is now used (AFAIK, only) for a team that plays in the Toronto Services Soccer League.
Naif, there is a Toronto FC in the Canadian leagues, so it’s likely that ‘City’ is just an error by Pink News.
https://www.torontofc.ca/
Naif, confusingly, it seems there is a team called Toronto City in the LIFIPA (Liga Independiente de Futbol Infantil*) league in La Planta, Buenos Aires. He played in that starting as a teen.
*Children’s Independent Soccer League
So his teammate is standing in a hole?
Equally confusing, that link to “…Gomez has faced critics …” is a link to another Pink News article, which doesn’t mention Gomez, but is actually specifically about Caster Semenya being criticised. So, once again trans trying to hide behind non-trans and claiming criticism of others as criticism of self.
Source for the LIFIPA bit…
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.elsuplente.com/2013/nota.php%3Fts%3Dnota%26nid%3D36066&prev=search
All can participate – except women.
Now, if you have male pattern baldness, you might be eligible for a spot.
Remember when people were so stupid they thought there might be some differences between males and females? What a bunch of colonialist white feminist fascists we were!
@Acolyte
FWIW re: the Toronto reference:
Toronto FC is a Big Deal, as far as “soccer” is ever a big deal in North America. Seriously, tho, Toronto is more in line with the UK and Europe in terms of futbol fandom: Toronto FC have a dedicated stadium in the heart of the city and they regularly sell out games. There’s never been a transgender player on that team, believe me. I’ve never heard of a futbol team called “Toronto City” and when I google it the results are for teams even more minor than my personal friends’ hobby leagues. So it’s not a thing. Anyways, just putting out that clarification because the article seems to imply this guy was a Big Shot in Toronto.
Rob did well to find that Toronto City, which is essentially a recreational team in a La Plata league. Vast majority of readers outside Argentina would have thought otherwise.
Not sure how tall Mara Gomez, but I would bet a sizeable number of the goals scored are headers.
Ahhh thanks Rob (@ 3) – that’s good to know. I bet Pink News wanted us to think Toronto City is like Manchester City and look no further.
No worries Ophelia, it’s the kind of rabbit hole searching I quite enjoy, even if I was supposed to be working. Re Pink News, I have a strong suspicion you’re correct.
So what? The second sentence does not refute the first.
Holms, also, given that Gomez doesn’t regard himself as a man then his assertion that those stronger players are not men doesn’t necessarily mean they are what you or I would call women.