WELLINGTON – A top New Zealand minister has declared that “biological males have no place in women’s sports”, as the government moved to scrap guidelines for transgender athletes in local competitions.
Sports around the world are wrestling with how to govern transgender participation, with the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee and English Football Association among those to recently restrict these athletes from women’s sport.
Government agency Sport NZ in 2022 developed “guiding principles for the inclusion of transgender people in community sport”. But Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on July 24 that the “woke” guidelines had been scrapped.
“The state has no place in people’s bedrooms – and biological males have no place in women’s sports,” he said in a statement.
“This is purely about ensuring there is safety and security for girls and women in the sports they play at every level.”
New Zealand has for years been seen as a world leader in allowing transgender participation in sport.
Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first transgender woman to compete at the Olympics when she entered the +87kg category at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
The now-dropped guiding principles included well-being and safety, anti-discrimination and anti-bullying.
They gave advice on providing private spaces in bathrooms and using gender-inclusive language.
“Transgender people can take part in sports in the gender they identify with,” the guidelines read, according to national broadcaster Radio New Zealand.
Sports organisations were not bound by the guidelines but last September, a group of Kiwi Olympians, doctors and sport administrators called for a review.
Sport NZ chief executive Raelene Castle said the guidelines were dropped at the request of the government.
“The government has directed Sport NZ to stop all work on the guiding principles for the inclusion of transgender people in community sport and remove them from our website,” she said.
“As a result of this decision, the guiding principles will no longer be available and the document has been removed from the Sport NZ website.
“Sporting organisations will continue to make their own decisions on the participation of transgender people in community sport and there are a range of expert organisations that can provide support.”
In a statement, the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa said it was “deeply disappointed” by the change. The decision would worsen an “unwelcoming and isolating culture for trans and non-binary people in sport”, it said.
Benjamin Doyle, a member of the opposition Green Party, said the government was “failing transgender people”.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe in sport,” he said.
“These guidelines were just that – guidelines that could keep our communities safe, which no one was bound to adhere to, and now they’ve been scrapped.” AFP
New ZealandGender issuesSports and recreation