For me, it’s one Bridge too far …

Regular visitors to this organ will be aware that we have previously covered the case of the transgender Emily Bridges which is currently a cause celebre in British – and to some extent also now world – cycling.

Today I return to it because of the latest development.

Emily issued a statement yesterday insisting that she has been in contact with British Cycling and the UCI over the past six months and had supplied them with medical evidence proving that she met all the eligibility criteria for transgender female cyclists, including the fact that her testosterone level had been well below the regulations limit for the past 12 months:

“Despite [this], I still have little clarity around their findings of my ineligibility under their regulations … 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.”

Let me declare again my position on the issue of transgender female athletes.

I have no problem at all with people who are born one gender at some point deciding or becoming aware that, as a person, they may feel more comfortable identifying as the other.

I drink at the metaphorical oasis which holds that it doesn’t matter at all with which gender an individual identifies as, or indeed with which gender they then wish to have sex, if they do at all (and then in whatever form that might take, depending upon choice), just as long as – in the process of all this – everybody involved has consented and also nobody gets harmed.

It’s a variation of “Live – and let live”.

However, I also believe that athletes who have been born male – and particularly have then been through puberty – possess certain physical abilities that give them an inherent advantage over those athletes born female.

To be specific, those I’m referring to are essentially geared towards strength, speed and power – the very attributes which give natural but undeniable attributes when it comes to playing games and/or competing in sports.

Don’t get me wrong.

When it comes to athletes born female – as it does with their counterparts born male – inevitably some start with attributes or natural skills that give them greater potential, e.g. you get few international class high jumpers who aren’t both stick-thin and also possess a considerable power/weight ratio favouring “spring”.

You get few world class 100 metre sprinters who don’t have genetic advantage of inherited “fast-twitch” muscles.

And you get few players of ball games at international level who aren’t (what the average person on the Clapham omnibus might call) “natural ball game players”.

Each and all of the above undoubtedly also needs to not only do the proverbial “10,000 hours” of hard work, effort and perseverance necessary in order to maximise their performance abilities – and here I’m not denying the additional factors, e.g. of “competitive spirit”, determination, “will to succeed and/or prevail” [and possibly also avoidance of serious injuries?], that go to affect or determine the ultimate record of every athlete that ever lives.

But to return to today’s topic.

In my view, there is no way around the fact that transgender female athletes – i.e. former males who have switched gender to become transgender females – have inherent advantages over female athletes born female.

I feel sorry for Emily Bridges – whom, Rusters might like to know [I have looked this up on the internet] was previously known as “Zach Bridges” when she was male – because I don’t doubt her sincerity in wanting to be female and also to continue competing in elite cycling – but unfortunately I don’t support her thrust.

Whilst she may have technically met the criteria and/or standards set by the governing cycling authorities (in her case, a testosterone level below the arbitrary limit set and announced in consultation with doctors and scientists in good faith for the required period of time), de facto she retains the advantage that – whether she likes it or not – she was once a male.

And that’s the long and the short of it.

Let me conclude by putting my argument another way.

Can any Ruster – indeed any researcher around the world – please give me the name of a single transgender man (i.e. a person born female who then switched gender to become a transgender man) who has subsequently gone on to achieve international or global recognition – still less gold medals or, for example, team Cup-winning success – in the male version of any game or sport?

The day someone can do so will probably also be the day that I would prepared to sit down and listen to an argument on behalf of Emily Bridges and/or anyone in a similar position.