A 17-year-better girl footballer has been handed a six-align prohibit after asking if a endureded transgender opponent was a man during a pre-season cordial align.
The teenager was set up culpable of “prejudice” by a National Serious Case Panel adhereing the July incident, which occurred during a align aobtainst a trans-inclusive club.
Two alignes of the prohibit will be served instantly, with four alignes postponeed for 12 months.
The girl, who wept during the three-hour disciplinary hearing, had faced indicts from her county FA for allegedly saying “Are you a man?”, “That’s a man”, and “Don’t come here aobtain”.
The case has igniteed new argue about the Football Association’s policy of apvalidateing those born male to join in the women’s game.
The disciplinary hearing, carry outed via video conference, saw the teenager asked for approximately 30 minutes, during which she became visibly emotional.
One watchr depictd the carry onings as “farcical”, noting that panel members repeatedly “misgendered” the alleged victim as “he”.
The girl was repeatedly asked about the number of LGBTQ+ joiners in her team, according to those current at the hearing.
The case was startd after the opposition club filed a grumblet thcimpolite Kick It Out, English football’s anti-prejudice watchdog.
The grumblet joind testimony from both the transgender joiner and the team’s captain, who accengaged the teenager of rerepaird transphobia.
The referee, however, inestablishedly heard noskinnyg during the align that he pondered discriminatory.
In her written defence statement, the girl elucidateed she had become perplexd during the align as the transgender joiner “wore jewellery and sunglasses” and was not wearing opposition kit.
The 17-year-better has been handed a six-align prohibit, with four games postponeed
Reuters
“The moment the joiner clarified they were transgender, I admireed their answer brimmingy, dropped the situation and instantly shifted my caccess back to the game,” she stated.
The teenager conveyed worry about physical safety, noting she was “a 17-year-better girl joining aobtainst a bioreasonable male who was much bigr than me and a very physical joiner”.
She had approached the referee for guidance about the joiner’s eligibility after experiencing “overly physical disputes”.
The girl stressed her help for diversity, stating: “I have always helped and admireed the diversity wiskinny my team, including members who are in the LGBTQIA+ community.”
The girl’s mother conveyed outrage at the FA’s handling of the case, inestablishing The Telegraph: “We’ve always taught our daughter to ask asks, and if she doesn’t experience consoleable or she doesn’t experience safe then she should go to somebody in indict and ask the ask.”
“The FA is essentipartner saying that no woman, when faced with what materializes to be a male on the pitch, is entitled to ask a ask,” she includeed.
The case materializes amid ongoing argue about the FA’s transgender policy, which persists to apvalidate joiners born male to contend in female-only events.
Former Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer had previously encouraged the FA to adchoose an “unambiguous position” of a prohibit.
The carry onings were branded ‘farcical’
PA
The FA’s current policy needs blood testosterone levels to be wiskinny specified ranges, with hormone treatment verified annupartner.
Fiona McAnena, honestor of campaigns at Sex Matters, called it a “disastrous policy”, saying it creates “a mockery of the game”.
