Black Immigrant Daily News
Minister of Sports Bernie Bush said in a recent interview with the Jamaica Gleaner that it is his personal view, and not the view of the Cayman Islands, that there should be separate games for transgender athletes.
Elucidating on his position, Minister Bush said:
It is very simple. I have nothing against anyone.
But I do not think it’s right.
And it’s nothing to do [with] what people are or who they think they are.
I don’t really see any women who are transgender to the male section wanting to compete, but I see some who are males trying to… wanting to compete with the women.
And having been involved with sports and coaching, I do not see where it’s fair and I do not think it’s right.
Maybe it’s time to have transgender games.
Very simple solution.
Respect them and give them their wish.
Minister Bush’s comments come after the World Athletics Eligibility Regulations for Transgender Athletes (Transgender Regulations) came into effect on 1 October 2019 and replaced the IAAF Regulations Governing Eligibility of Athletes who Have Undergone Sex Reassignment to Compete in Women’s Competition.
Regarding the Transgender Regulations, these state that “World Athletics needs to establish conditions for participation in the sport of Athletics, including eligibility categories, that (a) protect the health and safety of participants; and (b) guarantee fair and meaningful competition that displays and rewards the fundamental values and meaning of the sport.”
World Athletics wishes to be as inclusive as possible, to impose only necessary and proportionate restrictions on eligibility, and to provide a clear path to participation in the sport for all:
(a) World Athletics recognises that Transgender athletes may wish to compete in Athletics in accordance with their gender identity. World Athletics wishes to encourage and facilitate such participation, on conditions that go only so far as is necessary to protect the safety of all participants and to deliver on the promise of fair and meaningful competition offered by the division of the sport into male and female categories of competition.
(b) The eligibility conditions established in these Regulations are driven solely by the desire to guarantee fairness and safety within the sport. In no way are they intended as any kind of judgement on or questioning of the gender identity or the dignity of any Transgender athlete
The Transgender Regulations continued.
Concerning eligibility, the Transgender Regulations state as follows:
To be eligible to participate in the female category of competition at an International Competition, or to set a World Record in the female category of competition in any competition that is not an International Competition, a Transgender female athlete must meet the following requirements (together, the Transgender Female Eligibility Conditions) to the satisfaction of an Expert Panel, in accordance with clause 4:
3.2.1 she must provide a written and signed declaration, in a form satisfactory to the Medical Manager, that her gender identity is female;
3.2.2 she must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Expert Panel (on the balance of probabilities), in accordance with clause 4, that the concentration of testosterone in her serum has been less than 5 nmol/L3 continuously for a period of at least 12 months; and
3.2.3 she must keep her serum testosterone concentration below 5 nmol/L for so long as she wishes to maintain her eligibility to compete in the female category of competition.”
The Transgender Regulations added:
Once a Transgender athlete has satisfied the relevant eligibility requirements and has started participating in International Competition in the category of competition consistent with his/her gender identity, he/she may not then switch back to participating in the other gender category in International Competition unless and until (a) at least four years have passed since the first International Competition in which he/she participated as a Transgender athlete; and (b) he/she satisfies all of the conditions for eligibility to compete in the other gender category.
NewsAmericasNow.com
