UK Prime minister Boris Johnson: ‘Trans women should NOT be competing in female events’

Benny A. King

The question of trans participation in women’s sports has been a hot topic for the last year. The situation escalated thanks to misguided policies that allowed for Laurel Hubbard in the Olympics and went even further with the inclusion of Lia Thomas in NCAA championships in the United States.

Over in Britain, the case of British Cycling banning transgender and non-binary individuals from participating in a women’s event has everyone talking.

The sport’s governing authority in the UK said Friday that it had voted in favor of an “immediate suspension” of its current policy, which it said was “unfair on all women riders.”

Decision came days after world cycling’s governing body ruled cyclist Emily Bridges couldn’t compete at the National Omnium Championships in the UK.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I don’t think that biological males should be competing in female sporting events. And maybe that’s a controversial thing … but it just seems to me to be sensible.”

Posting the statement on its website, British Cycling said: “Due to the difference in the policies held by British Cycling and the UCI relating to the licensing process, it is currently possible for trans-female athletes to gain eligibility to race domestically while their cases remain pending with the UCI (or indeed in situations where they are deemed ineligible).
“This in turn allows those riders to accrue domestic ranking points which impact selection decisions for National Championship races, which is not only unprecedented in our sport, but is also unfair on all women riders and poses a challenge to the integrity of racing.”

The previously agreed-upon policy required that any current or prospective transgender or non-binary member seeking to compete in the female race category must submit a signed declaration stating that their identity is female and that they wish to compete in the female category, while also submitting medical evidence that their “total testosterone level in serum has been less than 5 nmol/L continuously for a period of at least 12 months.”

Bridge’s mother was in dismay over this ruling saying: “Dumped by email. We’ve just received this in our inbox. We will be making a statement at some point in the next 24 hours.”