Debbie Hayton Debbie Hayton

Tom Daley should not wade into swimming’s trans row

Tom Daley (Credit: Getty images)

Swimming’s governing body, Fina, made a wise and sensible decision last week. It declared that transwomen were ineligible to take part in elite female competitions if they have experienced any part of male puberty. There were caveats, but it was a huge stride in the right direction. It was a ruling that was fair to female swimmers. But not everyone is happy. 

Diving gold medalist Tom Daley is ‘furious’. Speaking at last night’s British LGBT Awards, Daley said:

You know, like most queer people, anyone that’s told that they can’t compete or can’t do something they love just because of who they are, it’s not on. It’s something I feel really strongly about. Giving trans people the chance to share their side.’

Let’s leave female sport to female people

Daley can direct his emotions wherever he likes, but his leap of logic has more twists and turns than he manages from the ten-metre diving board.

Let’s be clear, nobody – not Fina, nor anyone else – has said that trans people cannot compete in sport. Sport is for all, and that includes transgender athletes. Fina simply ruled that transwomen like me should not compete with women. Their reasoning for this was clear:

‘Biological sex is a key determinant of athletic performance, with males outperforming females in sports (including Aquatics sports) that are primarily determined by neuromuscular, cardiovascular, and respiratory function, and anthropometrics including body and limb size.’

For Daley, and anyone else struggling to keep up, biological sex divides transwomen from women in exactly the same way as it divides men from women. Indeed, if we allow transwomen to compete with women then why not open up female competition to any male who wants to show their side by taking on less challenging competition?

Because, whatever Daley may think, there is no sufficiently adequate qualifying criterion to be a transwoman.

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