The Economist - USA (2020-10-17)

TheEconomistOctober 17th 2020 67

1

I

t is thelatest development in a bitter ar-

gument. On October 9th World Rugby,

the global governing body for rugby union,

decided to bar trans women—people who

are biologically male, but identify as wom-

en—from playing in the international

women’s game, on the grounds that it is

unsafe. That ban will probably affect the

top levels of the game in individual coun-

tries, too, since international players are

drawn from the top clubs. Decisions on

what to do in the game’s lower levels have

been left to the governing bodies in indi-

vidual countries.

World Rugby’s decision puts it at odds

with much of the rest of the sporting world.

The International Olympic Committee

(ioc) has allowed trans women to compete

in women’s events since 2004. It loosened

its rules in 2015, removing the requirement

for genital surgery in favour of a declara-

tion of good faith, and requiring, in the in-

terest of fair competition, that trans wom-

en reduce the amount of testosterone in

their blood for at least a year before com-

peting. The idea behind this was that sup-

pressing testosterone would reduce or

eliminate the athletic advantages con-

ferred by male physiology.

How much is too much?

The ioc’s influence means that similar

rules have been adopted by many other

sports. That, in turn, has led to some fam-

ous victories for trans women. In 2018 Ra-

chel McKinnon, a Canadian trans woman,

won a women’s cycling championship in

the 35-44 age bracket. (Ms McKinnon has

since changed her name to Veronica Ivy.)

Laurel Hubbard, a transgender weightlifter

from New Zealand, has won a string of

medals in women’s contests. Rugby’s best-

known transgender player is probably Kel-

ly Morgan, who plays at club level in Wales.

It has also caused rows. Some female

athletes have complained that it is unfair to

make them compete against people who,

despite their gender identities and medical

procedures, remain biologically male. Oth-

ers worry that the system is open to abuse

by unscrupulous athletes desperate for

success. Several prominent female ath-

letes, including Martina Navratilova, a ten-

nis player, and three British Olympians,

have urged the iocto think again. The argu-

ments are particularly acute in America,

where, in at least two cases, they have end-

ed up in court.

World Rugby’s decision is significant

not just for the precedent it might set in a

notoriously bad-tempered debate, but also

because of how it was arrived at. After re-

ceiving worried letters from referees and

female players, the sport organised a work-

shop earlier in the year to which it invited

scientists, players, lawyers and ethicists.

Presentations were posted online, in the

interests of transparency. One crucial

question was whether the testosterone-

suppressing drugs advocated by the ioc

were enough to counter the sporting ad-

vantages enjoyed by males.

Start with the size of that advantage.

Transgender athletes

Scrum down

A ban by World Rugby could have wider implications

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