Documented lived experiences of Canadian rugby trans participants
Canada is out of its tiny little mind.
From September 2020:
RUGBY CANADA PROVIDES UPDATE ON FEEDBACK TO PROPOSED TRANSGENDER GUIDELINES [pdf]
Rugby Canada has completed their feedback submission to World Rugby as part of the consultative process regarding circulated draft transgender guidelines. The submission included the full version of Rugby Canada’s Trans Inclusion Policy, as well as documented lived experiences of Canadian rugby trans participants that were consulted as part of the feedback process.
What about the documented lived experiences of Canadian rugby female participants? And what about biology and physics and what we know happens when a huge muscular man crashes into a woman?
The criterion that matters here is Trans Inclusion and not Women’s Safety.
Why?
Why is it worth breaking women’s bones and giving them concussions for the sake of trans inclusion? Why do men who say they are trans even want that? Why doesn’t the very idea make them want to puke, instead? What is wrong with people?
Rugby Canada CEO Allen Vansen stated, “Our trans inclusion policy was written and developed by Sport, Law & Strategy Group, and is aligned with the guidance document ‘Creating Inclusive Environments for Trans Participants in Canadian Sport.’ Participation in community rugby in Canada is encouraged based on the gender in which a participant identifies and is not to be subjected to requirements for disclosure of personal information beyond those required of cisgender athletes.”
Why???
Why is the inclusion of men in women’s rugby more important than the safety of women in women’s rugby? Why does male entitlement trump women’s safety? How do these damn fools sleep at night?
“As a national Union of a G7 nation, we recognize our leadership role in this area,” said Rugby Canada Board Chair Tim Powers. “Rugby Canada believes that all individuals deserve respectful and inclusive environments for participation that value the individuals’ gender identity and gender expression. We want to ensure that all participants have access to programming and facilities in which they feel comfortable and safe, and will continue to take all steps necessary to do so.”
But what about women? And their safety? How are women supposed to “feel safe” when they’re having to play rugby against men?
I’ll never understand this.
What is it about genderism that makes those who officially espouse it in the face of common sense and common decency sound like they’re brain-dead zombies who can’t fathom why what they’re encouraging is harmful and dangerous? It’s nuts. Have their children been taken hostage? Do trans activists have incriminating photos of them? It’s not a forced move. There’s no need. Trans identified males are perfectly, legally able to try out for teams appropriate to their sex. If they’re not good enough for a professional. competitive league of their favoured sport, they can try out for recreational, community leagues. If they’re not good enough for that level, then they can take up any number of individual activities to stay fit and healthy. Except that’s not the point, is it. Validation is the driving force behind this push to invade women’s sport, and sporting authorities like Rugby Canada are enablers.
Somehow these “authorities,” who are normally more than happy to “gatekeep” by policing the pertinent regulations and standards of eligibilty for their respective sports, have fooled themselves into thinking they’re being cutting-edge progresives by pre-emptively and enthusiastically opening women’s sport to men who claim to be women when they wouldn’t dream of opening them up to men who make no such claim. Well guess what: their’s no difference between these two groups of men apart from the utterance of an impossible claim. Was there ever an equal enthusiasm on the part of sports federations on behalf of women? If there ever was, it’s gone now, sacrificed to the whims of mediocre men who want to win against women. I guess it’s worse to be branded a transphobic bigot than it is to actually be a misogynistic idiot.
What about them? They don’t matter, duh.
When I questioned the signs posted on the doors to my workplace bathrooms (signs that are decorated with baby-blue-and-baby-pink stripes that give away the game), that claim inclusivity and that anyone can use whatever bathroom they feel most comfortable in, and that literally include the phrase “Trust that the person using this space belongs here”, I was ”assured” that they were posted after extensive consultation with various parties. Everyone seems shocked when I point out that telling women to “trust the person who clearly doesn’t belong when they say they do” might be considered an incredibly bad idea, and is clearly not considerate of large swaths of the female population for various reasons, like no one had thought through any of the implications. And yet, the signs remain.
Conveniently enough, as far as I can tell none of the mystery “consultants” were female employees who weren’t in upper management, i.e., included no one who might actually be negatively impacted by the invasion of men into women’s spaces within a public institution anyone has the legal right to enter. But sure, “inclusive”. Just not of women. Men’s fragile fee-fees are all that matter, naturally, so nothing else to be done :-/
But they aren’t being asked to disclose anything beyond their sex. The choice to reveal trans status is made by the trans person the moment they make the claim that they are a woman despite their sex.
Clearly what are needed all the way across Canada are two (2) extra competitions: one for men who choose to identify as women, and the other for women who choose to identify as men.
For some strange reason that is completely beyond me, it is only men who choose to identify as women who generate all the controversy. I’m damned if I can understand why.
Time for the IRB to step up and be counted.
Don’t hold your breath, though, I’m still astonished that the RFU got off their fat, corporate arses long enough to make a pronouncement.
Translation: “We want to ensure that all participants have access to programming and facilities in which they feel comfortable and safe, but will refuse to take any steps necessary to do so.”
It’s impressive how all this platitudinous social justice, DEI language lies at least as brazenly as Trump.
Graham @ 5 – Can you tell us a little more about the IRB and RFU and what they did or didn’t?
To be honest, the IRB seem to be functionally non-existent, now. It used to be that directives from on high would filter through on a fairly regular basis and be the topic of some considerable conversation. Now, I don’t think I can remember the last time I heard anyone even mention them. Probably when they propose some new law changes and that’s about it. I certainly don’t get any feeling of leadership coming from what is supposed to be the international governing body.
As for the RFU, they have at least made clear that women’s rugby is for women only within their purview (England). I’m not sure what the WRU, SRU and IRFU positions are. [My disdain for the RFU is shared by pretty much every rugby fan outside of London and certainly all those north of Watford. Having said that they wanted to increase the awareness of rugby in general (and women’s rugby in particular) throughout the country, in next year’s women’s league, my team – Sale Sharks – are the only team representing the whole of England north of Loughborough. And they were only included very late in the process.]
Mind you, unlike some people I know, I don’t go out of my way find out what these various bodies are doing. If it’s important, I’ll get to hear of it through the usual channels (i.e. one of the aforementioned keen types will post something on a forum). Those channels are very quiet at the moment.
Oddly enough there’s a sport called wheelchair rugby – https://www.paralympic.org.au/sports/wheelchair-rugby/
Surely in the spirit of inclusivity this has to stop right now and the wheelchair players integrated into the able-bodied game. If you look at the man in the first picture on the linked page you’ll quickly understand why this ain’t happening.
There is now some coverage of it
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/rugby-league/warmington-female-rugby-players-complain-trans-opponent-hits-too-hard/ar-AA1dboD2?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=31eff64b129e420cb7f2a52ab07abc75&ei=9