Some parents in England are fuming over a biological man who has transitioned to female and his playing cricket with girls as young as twelve years old.
The English take cricket pretty seriously, so you can imagine why this is causing such a strong reaction.
From The Telegraph:
Trans woman competes against girls as young as 12 – parents demand answers from ECBSix first-class counties are demanding urgent answers from the England and Wales Cricket Board as to why a middle-aged player who transitioned from a man to a woman is being allowed to compete against girls as young as 12.Telegraph Sport has seen multiple letters from coaches and parents whose daughters have faced the player, whose case has not previously appeared in the media, in club cricket matches. All express alarm at the safety implications of an adult carrying the residual physical advantages of male puberty playing in the same league as girls. One letter from a coach claims the player “hits the ball harder than any other I have seen in the league”.It is understood that the player has previously caused injuries, although inadvertently, including one to an umpire and another to an opponent at county trials who was left unable to play for months. Some parents, disturbed at the significant inequalities of power between young girls and an adult who was born male, have threatened to remove their daughters from their league in response. One characterised the situation as “unacceptable, uncomfortable and dangerous”.
There are other issues besides fairness at play here:
There is also deep unease about the situation of a biological male identifying as female sharing toilet facilities at cricket clubhouses with teenage girls. “If I have a 13-year-old girl who needs to change because she has just started her period, she could well be sharing a confined space with a man who, under ECB policy, has decided they are now female,” a source said. “I have real concerns about that.”
Trans women in sports has been a hot button issue in the United States for a few years now. We have covered the issue of trans swimmer Lia Thomas extensively.
There was also a case in North Carolina where a high school girl was seriously injured when a trans player spiked the ball at her head.
Since this story is about England, this classic Monty Python bit seems appropriate:
Featured image via YouTube.
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