Disappointed Government Backs Guidelines Allowing Men In Women’s Sport

Save Women’s Sports Australasia is concerned to see reports that the National-led Government is back-tracking on their policies to prevent males identifying as transwomen participating in women’s sport.

Spokeswoman Ro Edge says the existing Sport New Zealand guidelines undermine fair and safe competition for half the population because it is only female sport that is impacted by them.

In its coalition agreement with NZ First, the Government agreed to ensure publicly funded sporting bodies support fair competition that is not compromised by rules relating to gender.

It appears that New Zealand First expect this agreement to stand with Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters saying: “Our government isn’t backing down on anything - not least of which is our stance on fairness and safety of women in sport.”

“Women in New Zealand are entitled to have confidence and certainty that men will not be allowed to participate in their sports teams and competitions. This info-warfare from a media that is clearly heavily invested in pushing trans activist demands must be called out,” Mrs Edge says.

“The new Government needs to clearly articulate their position and show that they haven’t been manipulated by officials and media,” Mrs Edge says.

“Sport New Zealand wrote an entire set of guidelines that did not mention issues of fairness or safety to females of allowing males to be included in female sport - or the fact that single sex sport is provided for in the Human Rights Act.

“Even worse, its guidelines advise sports to consider disciplining female participants if they raise concerns or objections to a male being allowed in their sport. This is misogyny plain and simple.”

Edge says it is naïve and insulting for Raelene Castle to say there they haven’t received complaints so there must not be a problem. The climate of bullying directed at those who speak up about this matter has created an effective silencing.

“The tragic aspect is that people are afraid to speak up and have been silenced.”

Ms Edge says it’s important to understand what the Government and Sport New Zealand are enabling. The males, who are called transwomen, are mostly fully intact men who have had no surgery and few take hormones. All they need to do to participate in female sport is say they identify as female and according to Sport New Zealand’s guidelines they must be included.

“Sport New Zealand is essentially allowing the colonisation of women’s sport by men – and it’s happening at every level of sport in New Zealand and from a younger and younger age.”

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