Not possible
Gymnastics Australia has unveiled a new set of guidelines for the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people.
The changes will allow individuals to choose uniforms, changing and bathroom facilities and compete in competitions which they believe best align with their gender identity.
GA boss Alexandra Ash said it was an important step to ensure all participants and stakeholders feel safe and included in the sport.
But it isn’t. It can’t be. It’s the opposite. By ensuring that men can intrude on women’s sports, they’ve ensured that women will never feel safe in their own sport. By including men in sports for women, they’re excluding women.
“Our commitment to transgender and gender diverse people involved in our sport is that gymnastics is and will continue to be a safe and inclusive environment for everyone, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, ability, cultural background, or ethnicity,” Ms Ash said.
Again: not possible. By letting men in, you make the environment unsafe and thus not inclusive for girls and women. It’s not possible to be unaware of this. You might as well include gorillas in wrestling and dolphins in swimming.
“Diversity ensures our sport is better for all involved, and we want everyone to feel comfortable and supported as part of the gymnastics community.”
For the third time: you can’t. You can’t both let men invade women’s sports and make women feel comfortable and supported. No one can; it can’t be done.
The guidelines said participation in sport was a human right…
But the issue is men participating in women’s sport. Men can participate in sport by participating in men’s sport.
Within GA and Australian Gymnastics Organisation managed facilities individuals have the right to use the changing and bathroom facilities that best reflect their gender identity.
Which means female individuals don’t have the right to use the changing and bathroom facilities that are exclusive to female individuals.
It’s amazing how if you turn it around like that (the “it” being “women’s sports for women”) their whole premise seems ridiculous and absurd.
Gymnastics for girls is already a fraught field, with numerous cases of sexual abuse reported, from the local to the highest level. Male coaches abusing female gymnasts.
Five years of denial, before they finally admitted to a problem.
Nex minit – Hey, here’s a good idea. Let’s allow men to change with girls. Those men would be quite handy to keep a lookout for predators, donchthunk?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-24/gymnastics-australia-signs-redress-scheme-sexual-abuse-survivors/102758666
See also
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/gymnastics-victoria-sued-over-historical-sexual-abuse-by-independent-coach-20210722-p58c1n.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-03/gymnastics-australia-report-human-rights-commission-culture/100111962
“You might as well include gorillas in wrestling and dolphins in swimming.”
I recall a short story written quite a few decades ago, (“Nothing in the Rules” IIRC) in which a mermaid was entered in a women’s swimming competition.