The United Nations is facing fresh calls to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports after a study revealed nearly 900 medals have been lost to biological men.
A UN report on “violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences” found that as of March 30, 2024, “more than 600 athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 sports different”.
“The replacement of the women’s sports category with a mixed category has caused an increasing number of athletes to lose opportunities, including medals, when competing against men,” wrote Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem.
Following the report, which was published in August, activists have again urged authorities to do more to protect female athletes.
During a panel last week, Kristen Wagoner of ‘Alliance Defending Freedom’ insisted that ‘high school and college athletes should not be expected to have to defend their own rights.’
United Nations faces calls to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports
Lia Thomas became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title in 2022
Instead, Wagoner argued, “our institutions, our government officials, and our parents should defend them.”
‘The reality is that an average male athlete can often beat an elite female athlete on the field. That’s why so many sports have been separated according to sex,” he said.
‘The creation of women’s sporting spaces has never been about division, but rather about recognizing objective biological differences and empowering women and girls, in light of those differences, to reward genuine merit.
“Science shows that men have an insurmountable advantage over women and no amount of testosterone suppressants will eliminate that advantage.”
There has been growing controversy and debate about the future of women’s sports in recent years, especially since swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division 1 title in 2022.
The University of Nevada Reno women’s volleyball team refused to compete against a rival team with a transgender player
Earlier this month, tthe University of Snowfall The Reno women’s volleyball team refused to compete against a rival team with a transgender player.
The UNR women’s volleyball team found itself at odds with its own university when it objected to the school’s desire to compete against San Jose State University and transgender player Blaire Fleming.
Nevada became the fifth team to opt to forfeit a game against SJSU with Fleming cited as the reason for safety reasons.
The Biden administration has sought to expand protections for LGBTQ+ students, leading Republicans to claim that the new Title IX rule is a ruse to allow transgender student-athletes to play on women’s sports teams. The White House insisted that the new Title IX rule does not apply to athletics.
The team refused to play against San Jose State and transgender player Blaire Fleming (pictured)
Alsalem stated that “the lack of protection of the women’s category is one of the most egregious forms of violence against women and girls,” while Wagoner argued that “allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports not only erases the field of fair game, but it puts women in physical danger.
“The obvious physical differences demand that categories in sport be separated according to sex; that is basic justice,” he continued.
‘The risk extends beyond the playing field: women and girls have rights to privacy and safety, and these are violated every time a member of the opposite sex enters women’s intimate spaces.
‘The violation of these spaces leaves women and girls extremely vulnerable and could rightly lead them to question whether they want to pursue athletics. When laws and policies lose touch with biological reality, women and girls suffer the most.’
