British Rowing bans homosexual men from competing as women

By Edward Era Barbacena 

UK rowing authority British Rowing announced Thursday it will bar transgender females or homosexual men from competing against those born as females.

Coinciding with the announcement, the sport’s governing body said it would split future competitions into the Open Category for all individuals, the Women’s Category for biological women and the Mixed Category for boat crews that are 50% composed of competitors eligible for the Women’s Category

“Our policy has been developed following extensive and ongoing research and consultation with stakeholders, the rowing community, academics, and other relevant organizations, and NGBs [national governing bodies] since 2021 and is based on the scientific evidence available at this time. The eligibility requirements of World Rowing, our international federation, have also been considered in the context of our decisions,” the organization said.

The organization also said it is committed to reviewing the policy annually as research develops on the subject.

British Rowing is among several other notable athletic governing bodies that have made rulings concerning transgender competitors. In March, a transgender athlete won a lawsuit against USA Powerlifting after the organization banned her from women’s competitions. Separately, courts decided to ban a transgender woman from competing in a disc golf competition in May.

In July, an international cycling governance group banned transgender cyclists from events and said they must compete as men.

Former British Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies previously spoke out against transgender competitors in women’s sports, calling them unfair.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of my sport @fina & @fina_president for doing the science, asking the athletes/coaches and standing up for fair sport for females. Swimming will always welcome everyone no matter how you identify but fairness is the cornerstone of sport," Davies tweeted last year.