English Cricket bans transgender women from women’s game
Transgender women will no longer be able to play in women’s and girls’ cricket matches, the sport’s governing body the ECB has announced.
It comes after a recent Supreme Court ruling said only those whose biological sex is female can be called female.
“Our regulations for recreational cricket have always aimed at ensuring that cricket remains as inclusive a sport as possible,” a statement read. “These included measures to manage disparities, irrespective of someone’s gender, and safeguard the enjoyment of all players.
“However, given the new advice received about the impact of the Supreme Court ruling, we believe the changes announced today are necessary.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board does, however, insist transgender women are able to play in open and mixed cricket.
While football’s ban will be introduced from 1 June, cricket’s changes will take place with immediate effect. Netball’s guidance will be introduced in September.
Transgender ban
The statement continued: “We acknowledge that this decision will have a significant impact on transgender women and girls. We will work with Recreational Cricket Boards to support people impacted by this change in our regulations.
“We await updated guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and will study this carefully.
“We maintain that abuse or discrimination has no place in our sport and are committed to ensuring that cricket is played in a spirit of respect and inclusivity.”
Judges at the Supreme Court in London voted unanimously to rule that a woman is defined by biological sex on 15 April.
The case was brought by the campaign group For Women Scotland, with Judge Lord Hodge stressing at the time that the law still protects transgender people from discrimination.