New culture secretary weighs in on toxic debate about trans athletes competing in women’s sports
Lisa Nandy has weighed in on trans folks in sport (Hollie Adams/Getty Images)
New culture secretary Lisa Nandy has weighed in on the often-toxic debate around trans people participating in women’s sports, saying she agrees with blanket bans at elite levels.
Nandy, who was appointed as part of Keir Starmer’s Cabinet following Labour’s landslide election win, said it should be up to individual sports’ organising bodies to decide whether or not to let transgender women compete against cis oppenents.
In April, her Conservative predecessor, Lucy Frazer, called on governing bodies to take an “unambiguous position” on banning trans women, saying “biology matters” in competitive sport and “where male strength, size and body shape give athletes an indisputable edge, this should not be ignored”.
Speaking to political publication The House, Nandy said: “I think that is the right approach. We ought to respect the fact that they are far more expert in making those judgments and decisions than we are.”
She added that “broadly speaking, most sports have got that right”.
There is currently no definitive evidence to suggest that trans women have a biological advantage in competitive sports, in part because they have been barred from competing in many elite events, making it difficult to collate research.
However, in recent years many sporting bodies, including British Cycling, British Rowing and Swim England, have taken steps to ban trans women.
Nandy, who held her Wigan seat with a majority of close to 10,000, continued: “Obviously, as I’m newly appointed and I’m talking to stakeholders, I want to make sure they feel supported to be able to make those decisions fairly.
“But I think most have come to the conclusion that, although they want to be as inclusive as possible, biology does matter when it comes to sport, and that it’s impossible to balance the requirement of fairness without ensuring that they take biology into account. That’s broadly sensible.”
In the interview, Nandy, who a faced backlash from gender-critical figures such as author JK Rowling in 2023, described herself as a “big supporter of the trans community”, adding: “They’re the most marginalised, discriminated against group of people in our country at the moment, and I want them to know and feel that this government cares deeply about them being included and respected, and being afforded the same dignity as everybody else.
“But there is a consideration when it comes to sport about biology – it does matter – and about fairness.”
Nandy went on to back health secretary Wes Streeting’s move to make the temporary ban on puberty blockers for trans youth with gender dysphoria permanent – a decision that has been widely criticised, including by some fellow Labour MPs.
“The approach Wes has taken, as somebody who has been a strong supporter of the trans community and continues to be, is the right one,” she said.
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