Transgender women have been banned from playing in women’s and girls’ cricket in England and Wales after the governing body announced a change in policy today.
The move by the England and Wales Cricket Board follows last month’s UK Supreme Court ruling regarding the Equality Act, reports AFP.
The UK’s highest court ruled the legal definition of a “woman” is based on a person’s sex at birth and does not include transgender women who hold a gender recognition certificate.
The decision by cricket chiefs comes after the English and Scottish football associations announced Thursday that transgender women would be barred from the women’s game.
Trans women have been banned from the top two tiers of elite women’s cricket since the start of this year but had been permitted to compete in the women’s game up to and including tier three of the domestic game and throughout recreational cricket.
But the ECB has now tightened its rules.
“With immediate effect, only those whose biological sex is female will be eligible to play in women’s cricket and girls’ cricket matches,” it said in a statement. “Transgender women and girls can continue playing in open and mixed cricket.”
The ECB said its regulations for recreational cricket had always been aimed at making the sport as inclusive as possible.
“These included measures to manage disparities, irrespective of someone’s gender, and safeguard the enjoyment of all players,” it said.
“However, given the new advice received about the impact of the Supreme Court ruling, we believe the changes announced today are necessary.”
Acknowledging the “significant impact” of the new policy on transgender women and girls, the ECB said it remained committed to ensuring “cricket is played in a spirit of respect and inclusivity”.
Transgender participation has become a hot-button issue as different sports try to balance inclusivity with ensuring fair competition.
International governing bodies in a number of sports including cycling, swimming and athletics have tightened policies to effectively ban transgender competitors.
•Trump signs order banning transgender women from female sports
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February seeking to ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
