Policy on the Run: The Development of Trans and Gender Diverse Inclusion Policies in Community Sport in Australia

Abstract

This chapter examines the creation and development of trans inclusion policies in community sport in Australia. More specifically, it explores the impact of such policy, or lack thereof, on trans and gender diverse people who are currently engaged or wish to engage with community sport in the state of Victoria, Australia. This chapter evaluates the impact of Federal legislation and guidelines for the inclusion of trans and gender diverse people in Australian sport, and how sport organizations have responded in creating trans athlete policies for community sport participation. Next, we discuss the experiences and challenges for trans and gender diverse athletes playing and competing in community sport. We examine how these athletes work against institutional norms which typically reinforce a rigid gender binary. This chapter draws on a range of research projects in Australia by the first author and concludes with some recommendations for future research and both policy and practice.

Citation

Storr, R., Posbergh, A. and Bekker, S. (2023), "Policy on the Run: The Development of Trans and Gender Diverse Inclusion Policies in Community Sport in Australia", Greey, A.D. and Lenskyj, H.J. (Ed.) Trans Athletes’ Resistance (Emerald Studies in Sport and Gender), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 43-55. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80382-363-820231004