Joint statement on homophobia in sport

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Joint statement by Transgender Victoria and OII Australia on the new Anti-Homphobia & Inclusion Framework for Australian Sports.

We welcome Wednesday’s publication of the anti-homophobia policy, “Anti-Homophobia & Inclusion Framework For Australian Sports”. We welcome the intention to address issues facing trans and gender diverse people due to their gender identity, and intersex people due to their intersex status.

These issues are important to our communities, and we look forward to working with sporting and human rights organisations to ensure equality of access to sport.

Morgan Carpenter says, “Intersex people can sometimes face homophobia and exclusion when playing or competing as their birth and legal sex. Athletes such as Caster Semenya, suspected of being intersex, have faced heightened scrutiny, humiliation, and questions about their womanliness and their genitals. Intersex people need sport just as much as other members of the community, and we warmly welcome an opportunity to improve access.”

Sally Goldner says: “TGV welcomes any move to ensure trans and gender diverse people are able to be involved in sport on their merits rather than being excluded based on inaccurate generalisations. We would welcome the opportunity to meet as soon as possible with Bingham Cup organisers – or any sporting body for that matter.”

We aim to meet before the prestigious Bingham Cup tournament takes place in Sydney in August this year.

More information

Postscript

Postscript: in a timely article in the New York Times yesterday, Katrina Karkazis and Rebecca Jordan-Young look at new rules by the IOC, IAAF and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association and find that intersex women are subject to humiliating examinations and coercive surgery.