The following table describes the status, the proposer and other metadata of this motion.
| Consultation: | FYEG General Assembly 2022 |
|---|---|
| Agenda item: | 4. Resolutions |
| Proposer: | Jong Groen, DWARS |
| Status: | Published |
| Submitted: | 04/28/2022, 21:37 |
R14: Let Trans People Play!
Motion text
During its General Assembly in 2020, the FYEG unanimously adopted the resolution
“Trans Rights Are Human Rights.” As a complement, this present resolution wishes
to tackle an area where trans people are gradually discriminated against, and
where (uninformed) prejudices against them still prevail: sports.
In sports, the category of women is defined as people with certain physical &
physiological characteristics, so as to maintain fair competition. However, this
does not justify the discrimination against trans women who want to take part in
sports. Australia’s Laura Hubbard and the USA’s Lia Thomas are at the forefront
of the current struggle of trans athletes to be able to participate in high-
level sports events.
It is a grave misconception that people would go through a fundamental
transition like gender affirmation for any other reason than their gender
identification. It is plain false to claim that trans women are dominating
women’s sports or trans women have undergone their transition to win and
dominate women’s sports. This is simply transphobia and it has no place in our
society.
A recent literature study shows that there is no conclusive evidence for trans
athletes who have undergone or are undergoing hormone replacement therapy,
especially trans women athletes, to have a significant, let alone
disproportionate advantage over their cisgender counterparts in the same
discipline. Moreover, every person has a different body type and thus there
exists a wide physiological diversity even among trans athletes, much as there
is of the same among cis athletes. Therefore, it is absolutely not justified to
ban transgender athletes from sports.
Genuine concern for women in sports entails that issues concerning equal
treatment of women in sports clubs, organisations, leagues, and federations
should be addressed, such as but not limited to unequal pay between men and
women in the same sports discipline whether elite, professional or amateur, and
equally meaningful participation of women athletes in sports governing bodies
starting from the sports clubs going up. Women athletes and women’s clubs should
be set on equal footing with their male counterparts.
Furthermore, a societal shift with regards to the perception of trans people in
sports is necessary – for example, better education about trans issues in
schools and sports organisations, and consistent punishment of transphobic
behaviour within sports (for both fans and athletes).
We, the Federation of Young European Greens, reaffirming our commitment to
uphold transgender rights as human rights and to end discrimination against
transgenders, while recognising the limits within the realm of sports:
stand by the International Olympic Committee’s policy of allowing all
trans women who have undergone or are undergoing hormone replacement
therapy, who meet the required hormone levels, to participate in women’s
sports, sports federations and lower-level competitions, taking into
consideration physical safety concerns upon exercising a certain sport
discipline, until a more comprehensive policy is made based on scientific
evidence;
reiterate our call for (better) education on transgender issues to clear
up misconceptions on and promote the inclusion of transgender people, not
only in sports but also in our society as a whole;
call on the European Union, its Member States, and international sports
federations to promote and facilitate more research into transgender
people in sports, so as to better balance inclusivity and fairness in
sports policies;
call on sports organisations to treat women athletes on equal footing with
their male counterparts, including but not limited to paying women
athletes and teams equally as their men counterparts on the same
discipline and level;
call on sport organisations to react properly on transphobic behaviour in
sports, by fans, athletes, staff and anyone else involved, through
specific codes of conduct and regulations, with appropriate sanctions such
as stadium bans, disqualifications etc.
Amendments
none