Trans, Gender-Diverse, and Intersex Inclusion in Sports is a Human Right
A growing movement is calling for the full inclusion of trans, gender-diverse, and intersex individuals in sports, highlighting that their participation is a fundamental human right.
This movement recently gained significant support following a statement issued by several global rights organisations – including ILGA World, Outright International, the Human Rights Campaign and Amnesty International – welcoming a report from Alexandra Xanthaki, the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights.
The statement underscores the importance of recognising that sports are not just about competition—they play a crucial role in cultural life and social cohesion. At both the elite and community levels, sports provide opportunities for people to connect, build resilience, and break down social barriers.
To deny trans, gender-diverse, and intersex individuals the right to participate fully in these spaces is to strip them of a vital avenue for inclusion and self-expression.
Sports as a Human Right for All
At the core of the statement is the belief that sports should be accessible to everyone, regardless of gender identity or sex characteristics. This call for inclusivity emphasises that trans, gender-diverse, and intersex athletes deserve the same opportunities to participate in sports safely and fairly as their cisgender peers.
By framing this as a human rights issue, the signatories of the statement argue that exclusion based on gender identity is not just unfair—it’s discriminatory.
In recent years, sports have become a battleground for debates about gender, with trans and intersex athletes often finding themselves the target of misinformation and hostility. The statement points out that discriminatory rhetoric, often under the guise of “protecting” women’s sports, is harmful.
It spreads falsehoods and fuels violence, particularly towards trans women, gender-diverse individuals, and intersex athletes, who are mischaracterised and subjected to invasive scrutiny.
The Harm of Exclusion and Misinformation
A major concern raised in the statement is the rise in hate speech and harmful stereotypes directed at trans, gender-diverse, and intersex athletes. One particularly alarming practice is the use of “sex testing,” a process that involves scrutinising an athlete’s physical characteristics or hormone levels to determine their eligibility to compete.
The statement condemns this invasive practice, noting how it disproportionately affects women from the Global South and women of colour, reinforcing patriarchal and colonial systems of oppression.
The statement cites the case of two athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, who were subjected to harsh public scrutiny over their sex characteristics. Such incidents highlight the intense pressure and discrimination faced by trans and intersex athletes, perpetuating the idea that they somehow threaten the integrity of women’s sports.
However, many human rights bodies, including the UN, have made it clear that international law prohibits discrimination based on both sex and gender. This protection extends to trans, gender-diverse, and intersex women, affirming their right to participate in sports.
The Special Rapporteur’s report calls any attempts to exclude these athletes from women’s categories “unacceptable” and warns that such actions may amount to hate speech.
Intersectionality and Inclusion: A Call for Action
The statement also stresses the importance of intersectionality in understanding the various forms of discrimination faced by athletes. LGBTIQ+ athletes, athletes with disabilities, and those from disadvantaged racial or socio-economic backgrounds face heightened risks of violence, exclusion, and abuse.
Efforts to restrict the participation of trans, gender-diverse, and intersex athletes in sports not only perpetuate these injustices but also create false dichotomies between different groups of women, framing their rights as somehow incompatible.
Rather than implementing sweeping policies that create separate categories for trans athletes—such as so-called “open categories”—the statement advocates for a case-by-case approach that ensures fairness without sacrificing inclusion.
All athletes deserve the opportunity to compete and learn alongside a diverse group of teammates, the statement argues, and the best part of sport is precisely this shared experience.
Sports Empowerment for Trans, Gender-Diverse, and Intersex Athletes
Sport, as the statement powerfully asserts, has the potential to transform lives. It offers trans, gender-diverse, and intersex people a sense of community and empowerment, helping to break down entrenched stereotypes about gender and the body.
Exclusion not only denies these athletes their right to participate, but it also deprives the wider world of the lessons that come from diversity and inclusion.
As the movement to ensure full participation in sports continues, the statement serves as a reminder that gender inclusivity is not a threat to the integrity of sports—it’s a human right that strengthens the very foundation of fairness and equality that sports aim to promote.
Hundreds of organisations and individuals have subsequently signed in support of the statement, which can be read in full and signed here.
My God Roberto, why do you think are woman and trans men banned from playing rugby in a men’s team? The power advantage is such that there becomes a safety issue when a male-bodied player collides with a female bodied player. My spouse was a rugby player and even me as a male will get seriously injured if we would play full on rugby against each-other.
Now the whole issue of transgender woman. The same applies. The far majority of transgender woman is physically stronger than a biological woman. We have seen it in the recent olympic boxing.
“often under the guise of “protecting” women’s sports, is harmful.” Roberto, it is nort true! Woman’s sport need to be protected, because again it is about Biology -one cannot change that.
You are ranting and raving about Discrimination, violence, exclusion, and abuse. The truth is you cannot get past the biological differences between a male and a female body when it comes to strength, agility, bone density etc.
There should be a category for transgender people. I have no problem with that. This whole debate is more to the detriment of transgender people, and the rest of the LGBTQ community.
Sorry but I do not agree with you.
Fairness and safety in sport is paramount. It is undeniable that a trans woman will be stronger than a biological woman in competitive sport. While I can empathise with trans individuals wanting to compete in the gender they identify as it simply is not fair – as is evidenced by athletes like Lia Thomas and a growing list of biological and mediocre male athletes competing in women’s sport. It is frankly absurd to deny the biological realities of going through male puberty at the expense of half the global population IE WOMEN.
If we’re going to play the inclusion game then we need to consider the female athletes that lose out on participation because a male bodied human takes their place. I for one am done pretending this is fair, it simply is not.