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Boris Johnson says ‘biological males’ should not compete in female sport
His comments come after transgender cyclist Emily Bridges was barred from competing in a women’s event
Boris Johnson has said ‘biological males’ should not be competing in female sports and that venues should provide ‘women only’ spaces.
The Prime Minister told broadcasters during a hospital visit today in Hertfordshire that his view on the matter ‘seems to me to be sensible’.
He said, as per Sky News: “I also happen to think that women should have spaces – whether it is in hospitals or prisons or changing rooms or wherever – which are dedicated to women.
“That doesn’t mean that I am not immensely sympathetic to people that want to change gender, to transition and it is vital that we give people the maximum possible love and support in making those decisions.”
New guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission this week has said that transgender people can be legitimately excluded from single-sex services, but only if the reasons are ‘justifiable and proportionate’.
The government justified the new guidance as being in place for reasons of privacy, decency, to prevent trauma or to ensure health and safety.
The prime minister also made clear that his government ‘will have a ban on gay conversion therapy’, but added that there are ‘complexities and sensitivities when you move from the area of sexuality to the question of gender’.
Johnson’s comments come after transgender cyclist Emily Bridges was last week barred from competing in a women’s event after the sport’s governing body ruled she was not eligible.
The twenty-one year old, from Wales, had been due to compete in her first women’s event at the British National Omnium Championships but, according to The Guardian, the UCI prevented her from competing because it said she was still registered as a male cyclist.
This made her therefore ineligible to compete as a female until her male UCI identification expired.
Bridges had previously set a national junior men’s record over twenty-five miles before her transition in 2018, and began hormone therapy last year to reduce her testosterone levels.
In a statement, Bridges said: “I am an athlete, and I just want to race competitively again. No one should have to choose between being who they are, and participating in the sport that they love.”