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LONDON — For soccer-loving transgender ladies in England, it has been a troublesome day, because the ban on their participation in ladies’s groups got here into power.
To present its solidarity with the group and in opposition to the choice by the governing physique of English soccer (soccer), Goal Diggers Football Club, a London-based trans-inclusive ladies’s crew, held a match Sunday.
The message was clear. Yes, it is a unhappy day, however nobody will cease us enjoying the game we love.
Around 100 individuals — ladies, trans ladies, non-binary and gender non-conforming gamers —took half within the “Let The Dolls Play Tournament” in Islington, north London.
And everybody current appeared to search out consolation of their solidarity regardless of the occasional foul, intentional or not.
“You know they’re not going take away this community, my friends,” mentioned Paula Griffin, a 60-year-old transgender girl. “And there’s such a powerful message coming from that, that the people who care about women’s sport are the people who play the women’s sports. And these are the people that are my friends.”
Griffin, like the others, are still dismayed by the decision last month by England’s Football Association to ban transgender women from playing on women’s soccer teams from June 1 following a U.K. Supreme Court ruling in April.
The F.A. said it had decided to change its rules that had allowed transgender athletes to play in women’s soccer teams if they had reduced testosterone levels.
The decision came in the wake of the ruling from the U.K.’s Supreme Court that defined a woman for anti-discrimination purposes as someone born biologically female. The head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission said after the ruling that transgender women would be excluded from women’s toilets, hospital wards and sports teams.
While the ruling was cheered by some feminist groups, it was condemned by trans-rights groups who said it would have a broad and detrimental impact on daily life.
“It’s really upset me,” said Billie Sky, a 28-year-old transgender woman. “I’ve to say, this has been a very exhausting week. I’ve struggled to get off the bed at instances. I’m doing my greatest to get by work and are available to issues like this, but it surely’s, it’s actually tough.”
The challenge has been polarizing within the U.Ok. and past, notably within the United States, the place President Donald Trump has signed government orders to ban participation of transgender athletes in sports activities and to make use of a inflexible definition of the sexes, reasonably than gender, for federal authorities functions. The orders are being challenged in court docket.
For these current on the match in north London on Sunday morning, the combat will go on however for now, it is about conserving the game they love shut.
“I think that’s the whole point of today, is we’re trying to just reclaim the day and make it a really joyous time to spend together,” mentioned Jahnavi Kalayil, a 26-year-old girl. “And I feel it’s positively occurred, everybody’s had a very nice time. Whether successful or dropping the video games, it’s extra about simply coming collectively as a group and ensuring we’re standing up for our trans siblings.”
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