The Future of Women's Sport Includes Transgender Women and Girls ^*

Abstract

As advocates and scholars dedicated to advancing equality for women and girls, we believe that sport can empower all people – and to change the world. Exclusion and restrictions for transgender athletes undermine this cause. Transgender athletes are not and have never been a threat to women's sport. There are, however, serious and well-documented threats to women's sport that warrant attention, including unequal opportunities in participation and leadership, inequitable funding and pay, uneven media coverage, a lack of sponsorship opportunities, sexual harassment and abuse and incomplete implementation of gender equality policies (Bisgaard & Støckel, 2019; Cooky et al., 2021; Hindman & Walker, 2020; Lough & Greenhalgh, 2019; Novkov, 2019; Pape, 2020; Raso, 2019; Schultz, 2018; Staurowsky et al., 2020; Yanus & O'Connor, 2016; Zerunyan, 2017).

A close reading of peer-reviewed, researched-based and credible sources allow us to better understand the experiences of trans athletes, to dispel the dangerous misinformation peddled in recent media accounts and political debates, to outline critical legal and policy discussions about trans athletes, and to highlight why access to sport matters for everyone. There is a clear consensus across multiple disciplines: the future of sport includes transgender women and girls.

Citation

Schultz, J., Baeth, A., Lieberman, A., Pieper, L.P. and Sharrow, E.A. (2022), "The Future of Women's Sport Includes Transgender Women and Girls ^* ", Greey, A.D. and Lenskyj, H.J. (Ed.) Justice for Trans Athletes (Emerald Studies in Sport and Gender), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 17-29. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-985-920221002