Open letter to British Cycling
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British Cycling Transgender and Non-Binary Participation Policy Consultation
An open letter to British Cycling regarding their policy on gender
Velociposse is a London-based inclusive cycling club for all women and non-binary people. We are writing in support of trans and non-binary members of Velociposse, and the wider cycling community with the full backing of our wider club membership. We believe that the British Cycling transgender and non-binary inclusion policy has many inconsistencies and does not go far enough to include and support trans and non-binary members. Trans people are less likely to take part in team sports, and according to Out for Sport1, 79% of trans people say that they felt transphobia and homophobia were barriers to their participation. The question, “How do we get as many people cycling and racing as possible?” should be at the heart of the BC gender policy, and we hope that BC can make changes to be at the forefront of inclusion in British sports.
At the heart of the policy, there is an inconsistent understanding of gender and problematic language is used throughout. The policy’s definitions of sex and gender (page 1 of the policy document) are incorrect, and they need to be re-assesed and changed. Throughout the policy sex and gender are incorrectly used interchangeably. At times gender is used to mean sex and at times gender is used to be mean social construction of identity. Understanding gender is vital to creating policy, and we suggest that BC does the appropriate research with input from specialists.
The current British Cycling policy does not commit BC to providing a non-binary option for non-race membership. The policy currently states that members can change their gender marker without providing medical evidence if they wish to join via ‘ride’, ‘commute’ or ‘fan’, however they may only change their gender marker to a binary choice of ‘male’ or 'female’. A Velociposse member enquired about the lack of a non-binary category over 4 months ago, and this still has not been addressed. We understand that the bigger issue of gender in racing requires time and research, but adding ‘non-binary’ as a non-racing membership category can and should be done immediately.
We believe that every cyclist should have the opportunity to race under their self-identified gender. We are especially concerned about the proposed policy that requires trans women to test their testosterone levels in order to race. There is no scientific consensus linking endogenous testosterone and sports performance2, and there is a general overlap between average testosterone levels in males and females2, so policy based solely on testosterone levels is questionable, and often targets athletes of colour3. Additionally, only having the options of only ‘female’ and ‘male’ categories excludes intersex individuals. According to the policy, for members to change their self-identified gender, they need to provide sex-based medical evidence which relies on a binary male/female distinction. This means that there is currently no route within this policy for non-binary members to be able to race. All cyclists should be able to race under their gender without providing medical-based evidence.
We understand that this is a difficult issue and will take time, but we encourage British Cycling to put in the work and research, with input from trans people. One possible option is having an open racing category or a separate category for women and non-binary people to race together. We also suggest that when these races start happening that BC has a channel to report any transphobic events.
We are also aware that British Cycling is consulting with Fair Play for Women, a trans-exclusionary organisation. Fair Play for Women are actively campaigning for anti-trans legislation, using organised campaigns to persuade the public to tell the government that trans inclusion is a threat to women. They are actively against the Gender Recognition Act4, a bill that is trying to streamline the process of trans people getting legal recognition of their gender, citing that UK laws such as the GRA and the Equality Act 2010 should be interpreted in such a way that trans women are understood as ‘male’, trans men as ‘female’, and that non-binary people do not exist 5,6. The biological sex based approach advocated for by lobbying organisations such as Fair Play for Women will only serve to marginalise trans and non-binary cyclists, whether they be racing or non-racing members of British Cycling. It is pertinent that British Cycling cuts ties with them and instead collaborates exclusively with trans-led organisations.
We call on British Cycling to take the following three steps toward Inclusion. Firstly, immediately include 'non-binary' as a category for non-racing membership. Next, consult with trans and non-binary led organisations within the next 6 months. Lastly, ensure all people are able to race under their self-identified gender within the next year.
Kind regards,
Velociposse Cycling Club
1Tackling Transphobia in Sport
3 Caster Semenya and the cruel history of contested black femininity
4 Metro newspaper runs full-page ad attacking trans rights reforms
5 TERF wars: An introduction - Ruth Pearce, Sonja Erikainen, Ben Vincent, 2020
6 Differences between male and female skeletons, heads and muscles
