Nearly two-thirds of Britons want trans women BANNED from female sports, poll reveals after Emily Bridges row
- More In Common think tank’s poll showed Britons not in favour of participation
- Respondents all wanted trans women to be able to take part in their sports
- But majority thought they had a physical advantage over genetic-born women
Transgender women should not be allowed to compete in female-only sports, 57 per cent of respondents to a new poll have said.
The majority of Britons surveyed felt transitioned females are ‘giving the other competitors a physical disadvantage’.
But every group questioned wanted there to be a way that trans women could be able to compete in the sport they loved.
Most raised the idea of having a separate or mixed category for trans athletes to take part in.
The controversial topic – magnified by cancel culture and social media storms – was examined by think tank More In Common.
Its survey of more than 5,000 people and 20 focus groups featured partly anonymised comments from those quizzed.
Lara, 38 from Pitney said: ‘No one’s saying they’re not female in sports. It’s just, they’re saying that they’re giving the other competitors a physical disadvantage. I don’t think it’s that they’re being categorised as a male. It’s just that physically they’d smash the shit out of the other side. It would be so unfair.’
Trans cyclist Emily Bridges denies claims she has any advantage over biological women
The survey was carried out by think tank More In Common and looked at variety of tops
Ian, 61, from Glasgow added: ‘People can pick and choose their gender nowadays, or what and do what they want and dress as they want. That’s absolutely fine.
‘But when it comes to competitive sport, just looking at her, you get a substantial advantage with her build or strength. So she shouldn’t be competing against genetic females. I just don’t think it’s… I don’t think it’s right.’
Only 19 per cent supported allowing trans athletes in women’s sport.
It comes the week after as a fresh transgender row broke out after trans cyclist Emily Bridges laughed off claims she has a competitive advantage over biological women.
In a series of tweets, British Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies said Bridges is ‘not a woman’, called her inclusion in women’s sports ‘unfair’ and claimed that she would be banned from competing if she had ‘as much testosterone in my system as Emily Bridges is allowed’.
The former GB swimmer also posted: ‘Emily Bridges has never been barred from sport or ever will be. EB was competing last year & earlier this year successfully in the men’s category. Inclusion is being able to compete, its not getting an unfair advantage’.
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas speaks to her coach after winning the 500 meter freestyle
And she added: ‘If we get to the point where we can’t talk facts because it might hurt someone’s feeling where the hell is this going to lead us? How can we measure feelings? Why is one persons feelings more important than another persons feelings? See… feelings cannot be a measurement of truth.’
In March Labour leader Keir Starmer refused to say if a woman can have a penis during a debate about trans rights.
Starmer, appearing LBC radio for his regular phone-in, was asked about trans athletes and the success of Lia Thomas, a trans woman who won the 500-yard freestyle title at the women’s NCAA championships.
The victory has sparked a debate around trans athletes taking part in competitive sport, with critics claiming they may have an advantage over other participants.
But Starmer said it is for ‘sporting bodies to decide for themselves’ who can and cannot be included in events.
Asked if a woman can have a penis, Starmer said: ‘I’m not… I don’t think we can conduct this debate with… I don’t think that discussing this issue in this way helps anyone in the long run.’
Rosie Duffield, the Labour MP for Canterbury, has also told the BBC that her party still had a ‘confused’ position over the transgender debate.
She came under fire for her opposition to ‘male-bodied biological men’ being allowed to self-identify as female in order to access women-only spaces such as prisons and domestic violence refuges.
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