UK Athletics announced that it is applying World Athletics’ anti-LGBTQIA rules to exclude transgender women from elite female competitions, adding that it received the “required assurances” on the legality of the measures.
Earlier, World Athletics voted to ban competitors who have gone through male puberty from participating in women’s events, stating that this is needed to “protect the female category”.
In February, UK Athletics already stated that it wants the women’s category to be reserved for those who were assigned female at birth, supposed to ensure fair competition; while transgender athletes can compete in an “open” category alongside the men.
This time around, UK Athletics said it “received the required assurances from relevant bodies that the sporting exemption in the Equality Act 2010 applies to the Gender Recognition Act 2004”. Meaning, it can now implement the same anti-LGBTQIA policy of the World Athletics.
UK Athletics started enforcing World Athletics’ regulations to competitions in the UK on March 31.
Supposedly, UK Athletics is now working with its Transgender Project Group and the Home Country Athletics Federations to develop a Transgender Eligibility Policy for use in the UK. The focus, though, is to change the current male category to an open category to allow transgender women.
