Girl with suspected autism, 17, is ‘banned for SIX matches’ after asking ‘bearded’ transgender opponent ‘are you a man?’ during football match as parents hit out at sanction
- A girl soccer player didn’t know whether her opponent was a man or a woman
- She asked the referee and raised safety concerns – now she’s suspended
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A girls soccer player suspected of having autism has reportedly been given a six-match ban after asking a transgender player with a “beard”: “Are you a man?”
The girl, 17, was found guilty of ‘discrimination’ and her parents have expressed concern that the sanction undermines her and the safety of others.
Transgender female players aged 16 or over are allowed to play against girls and women under FA rules, although the 2007 policy has been criticized and is under review.
A National Serious Case Panel handed down the verdict following the girl’s comments during a friendly against a trans-inclusive football club in July, although she said she has denied being transphobic. The Telegraph.
The club complained to Kick It Out, an organization that opposes discrimination in football, and the provincial FA accused it of saying: ‘Are you a man?’, ‘That’s a man’, ‘Don’t come here again’ or something like that. comments.
FILE PHOTO: A teenage girl with suspected autism has been suspended for six matches after asking a transgender opponent, “Are you a man?”
She will be immediately suspended for two matches and will serve a conditional ban of four matches. It is reported that the girl cried during her half-hour hearing.
The girl reportedly asked the referee about her opponent’s suitability because she was concerned for her safety after several “exaggerated physical challenges,” while the referee heard nothing he considered discriminatory.
In a statement as part of her defense, the 17-year-old claimed she was ‘confused’ because her opponent was not wearing the opposition kit and was decked out in ‘jewelry and sunglasses’.
That statement continued: ‘At the point when the player clarified that he was transgender, I fully respected their response, dropped the situation and immediately shifted my focus back to the game before seeking assistance from the referee.
‘At no time was my question intended to be hurtful or malicious, as I simply wanted to seek clarity in an unfamiliar situation. Now that I know the player was transgender, I understand there were better ways to approach this question.”
The girl added that she had “expressed her concerns about the risk of serious injury if a 17-year-old girl plays against a biological male who was much bigger than me and a very physical player, which may have been a safety issue because I wanted not get dangerously injured just before the start of a new season’.
“We have always taught our daughter to ask questions, and if she does not feel comfortable or safe, she should go to the person in charge and ask the question,” the girl’s mother told The Telegraph.
‘The FA is essentially saying that no woman has the right to ask a question when confronted by what appears to be a man on the pitch.’
FILE PHOTO: The unnamed girl was charged by her province’s FA last month over comments she made to a transgender player while playing a friendly football match in July
FILE PHOTO: FA policy allows transgender players and girl claimed she ‘respected’ her opponent after learning about their transgenderism
The FA’s current transgender policy is based on a testosterone suppression model and uses ultimate discretion over whether or not a transgender woman can register, allowing her to manage this on a case-by-case basis.
Blood testosterone levels should be within a certain range and hormone treatment should be monitored annually.
There are currently no transgender women playing in professional football, or on their way to professional football in any of the Home Nations.
Former culture secretary Lucy Frazer has argued that the FA should consider banning transgender players to remove “unfair” competitive advantages.
“I think it’s really important that women can compete with women, and there’s an inherent unfairness: if you’re not biologically a woman, you have a competitive advantage,” she said.
“And I think a number of sports have looked at this very carefully and come to the conclusion that it is not appropriate to have women competing against people who are not biologically women.
‘We saw that in rowing. We saw that when swimming. And I would encourage other sports organizations to look at this very carefully.’