Leave out all the relevant facts

Jun 16th, 2023 | By
Category: Notes and Comment Blog

Journalism simply refuses to report on this subject honestly or accurately. The Age on “Australia’s new sports trans guidelines”:

Transgender athlete Hannah Mouncey has declared Australia’s new guidelines for elite trans athletes as the best and most detailed that she’s seen.

The issue isn’t “trans athletes.” The issue is males in female sports. Journalism simply will not say that.

However, the guidelines, developed by the Australian Institute of Sport to guide Australia’s sporting codes on what to do when transgender athletes seek to join elite competitions, were condemned in a scathing statement from the Queer Sporting Alliance.

Not transgender athletes; male athletes in female elite competitions. They know this but refuse to say it.

At a time when the inclusion of transgender athletes is at the centre of a polarising debate, further complicated by the politicisation of trans rights, these new guidelines are intended to create a consistent and fair approach that balance the interests of inclusion and the integrity of sport in Australia.

Still lying, still concealing the actual issue, still presenting it as being mean to transgender athletes.

Mouncey, an elite handballer whose bid to join the AFL was rejected, said the guidelines were the best and most thoughtful that she’s seen.

Why was his bid rejected? The Age carefully doesn’t say.

In the guidelines, the AIS states that an outright ban of transgender athletes from a sport – similar to policies introduced by World Aquatics (formerly FINA) or World Athletics – could be in breach of Australia’s anti-discrimination laws. Instead, the framework emphasises the need for case-by-case assessments of trans athletes.

Again. Issue not transgender athletes. Issue male athletes in women’s sports.

They are not compulsory, however, and emphasise the assessment and eligibility of transgender athletes in professional settings is dependent on the sport. This is because what is considered advantageous differs from sport to sport.

But above all it differs depending on which sex we’re talking about.

The guidelines also recommend a testosterone threshold of 2.5 nanomoles per litre for a minimum of two years, a stricter threshold than the majority of Australian sports’ current policies. However, the guidelines include wiggle room for sports that rely less on explosive and physical power, as experts emphasise the nuance required when addressing trans eligibility in elite sport.

Finally a hint that the issue might have something to do with male athletes destroying women’s sports, but it’s a very secretive veiled hint.

Olympic swimmers McKeown and Groves have also come out in public support of transgender inclusion at the elite level.

Now that’s just weird. It’s the first mention of these two names, and we don’t know what sex they are. In contrast…

“I’m all for allowing trans athletes to compete in sport and giving them equal opportunity to pursue their dreams, have fun and compete to the best of their ability,” McKeown said. “After all, isn’t that what sports are all about?”

Groves added: “Australia prides itself on being a country that gives people a fair go, we should never deny people opportunities because of their gender … Trans people deserve to play sport like anyone else.”

Others, including Katherine Deves, the one-time Liberal candidate who has been criticised for inflammatory and offensive language used against transgender people, described the guidelines as a “betrayal” to women’s sport.

At long last a woman gets to say something, but she is called evil first so that we’ll be sure to understand that we have to ignore what she says.

It’s a staggeringly dishonest article.

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