TRANS women will be banned from playing women’s cricket under new rules after the “win for common sense” Supreme Court ruling.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced changes to its regulations regarding eligibility for transgender players in women’s and girls’ cricket.
GettyTrans women are to be banned from competing in women’s cricket[/caption]
Women celebrate outside the Supreme Court in London
With immediate effect, only those assigned female at birth will be eligible to play in women’s cricket and girls’ cricket matches.
It comes after the FA announced it will also be banning transgender women from women’s football clubs next season.
Bosses are facing demands to apologise for the treatment of women and girls forced to compete against biological men — and punished if they complained.
The decision affects around 20 trans footballers registered at grassroots level.
Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that trans women are not legally women in a move hailed as a “victory for common sense”.
The FA – who previously allowed trans women to compete in women’s leagues – have now said they’re “changing their policy”.
In a statement yesterday, it said: “As the governing body of the national sport, our role is to make football accessible to as many people as possible, operating within the law and international football policy defined by UEFA and FIFA.
“Our current policy, which allows transgender women to participate in the women’s game, was based on this principle and supported by expert legal advice.
“This is a complex subject, and our position has always been that if there was a material change in law, science, or the operation of the policy in grassroots football then we would review it and change it if necessary.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling on the 16 April means that we will be changing our policy. Transgender women will no longer be able to play in women’s football in England, and this policy will be implemented from 1 June 2025.
“We understand that this will be difficult for people who simply want to play the game they love in the gender by which they identify, and we are contacting the registered transgender women currently playing to explain the changes and how they can continue to stay involved in the game.”
In April, the Supreme Court confirmed the terms “woman” and “sex” in the 2010 Equality Act “refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.
The landmark judgment was hailed as a “victory for common sense” by top politicians and feminist campaigners.
And the PM, who has previously said “trans women are women”, finally admitted that a woman is an “adult female” after years of woke dithering.
In a statement on Thursday, Downing Street added that “biology matters” in women’s sport.
FA’s decision is ‘too little, too late’, says Olympic swimmer
Olympic swimming star Sharron Davies, who has led a ten-year fight to stop biological men taking part in women’s sport, told The Sun she was delighted, and disgusted, by the FA’s “too little, too late” move.
She said: “I’ve heard all kinds of heartbreaking stories — women saying they just can’t compete with men who’ve ruined the enjoyment of their sport.
“It’s crazy and I’m pleased to see sense has finally prevailed (in football) but I won’t rest until men are barred from all female sport.”
Sharron told of her fury that the FA has yet to apologise to an autistic girl, 17, banned six games for asking a “bearded” opponent: “Are you a man?”
She denied being transphobic and said she was concerned for her safety. Sharron added: “The FA owes this girl an apology and all the women forced to compete against men.
“The FA have misrepresented the Equality Act, which has not actually changed, and have been sanctioning legalised cheating for years in pursuit of a woke agenda.”
Asked about the FA’s decision, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said on Thursday: “We have been clear that biology matters when it comes to women’s sport and that everyone should be compliant with the law.
“We will continue to work to ensure women and girls across the country can enjoy sports, and we will continue to support the bodies to protect the integrity, fairness and safety of the game.”
He added: “It’s up to the individual sporting bodies to set their own policies.”
It comes after Kemi Badenoch labelled Sir Keir a “weather vane who twists in the wind” as she claimed he “doesn’t have the balls” to express his views on gender.
And Harry Potter author Rowling hit out against the PM branding him a “coward”.
Last month, Baroness Kishwer Falkner, who chairs the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, suggested that clubs at professional and grassroots level must respect the Supreme Court’s ruling that female-only spaces are protected on the basis of biology.
Asked if it was now simple that trans women cannot take part in women’s sport, Baroness Falkner told the BBC: “Yes, it is.”
Lord Seb Coe, the president of World Athletics hailed the court for having “produced clarity”.
He said: “Most importantly, I think it really does support women, in places for them that really matter.
“It is really important that we continue to protect the integrity of women’s competition.”
The row over trans women in women’s sports has exploded in recent years, with growing calls to protect fairness for female athletes.
Critics say letting biological males compete against women creates an uneven playing field, especially in strength-based sports.
KEY POINTS ABOUT RULING
THE UK’s highest court unanimously ruled the terms “woman” and “sex” as set down in UK law “refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.
Judges ruled having a
Gender Recognition Certificate stating a trans woman is female does not mean that person should be treated as a woman under the UK 2010 Equality Act.
This means trans women with a GRC can be excluded from single-sex spaces if “proportionate”.
The ruling will apply to spaces such as changing rooms, homeless hostels or domestic violence refuges.
NHS guidance on who can be placed on same-sex wards is also now likely to be changed. The current document, set out in 2019, states: “Trans people should be accommodated according to their presentation: the way they dress, and the name and pronouns they currently use.”
One option is for transgender people to be placed in rooms on their own. Trans people still retain legal protections and cannot be discriminated against, but they cannot acquire protections reserved for women.
In 2022, British Cycling faced fury after allowing trans rider Emily Bridges to race in the women’s category — a move blocked by governing body UCI at the last minute.
Swimmer Sharron Davies, who won Olympic silver for Team GB, has been one of the most vocal campaigners against what she calls “female erasure” in sport.
She and other female athletes argue their years of hard work have been undermined by rules that favour inclusion over fairness.
Several UK sporting bodies, including World Athletics and Swim England, have since tightened rules to reserve elite female competition for biological women only.
Supporters of the changes say it’s common sense — and long overdue.
Britain’s equality watchdog is rushing to rewrite its rulebook after the court ruling shook up the law on sex and gender.
The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) says it’ll urgently update its guidance — as ministers face mounting pressure to spell out what the verdict means for schools, hospitals and workplaces.
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, who chairs the EHRC, said the impact of the ruling “cannot be overstated” and vowed a rapid review of the watchdog’s advice to reflect the fresh legal clarity.
The equalities chief pledged to crack down on any organisation ignoring the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling.
She said the ruling is “enormously consequential” and offers clarity — meaning trans women, even with a Gender Recognition Certificate, can be excluded from women-only spaces if “proportionate”.
On sport, she told Radio 4: “Yes, it is” now simple that trans women can’t compete in female categories.
She said changing rooms must be based on biological sex, adding: “If a male person is allowed to use a women-only service, it becomes a mixed-sex space.”
Baroness Falkner also said the NHS must scrap its 2019 policy on trans patients and follow the ruling, with “no confusion” left about what the law requires.
NHS trusts will be hit with lawsuits for millions of pounds if they fail to protect single-sex female spaces, a lawyer warns
Trans goalie Blair Hamilton, circled, joined a women’s team Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
