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Usually,inclusion and fairness go hand-in-hand. To create a place that is inclusive,is to create a space that is fair. Transgender,gender-diverse and non-binary athletes’ inclusion in the female category of elite sport,is one of the few occasions where these two principles come into conflict.
The incongruity that inclusion and fairness cannot always work together is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to talk about this topic.
Usually,they are terms of absolutes which work together,yet science now tells us,that in this issue,they are incompatible.
I stand before you,as a four-time Olympian,a world champion and a world record holder. I stand before you,as a beneficiary of fair,elite competition. Yet my job today is not to explain the nuances of FINA’s transgender policy. Nor is it to defend the conclusions reached by medical and legal professionals of much greater intellect than mine.
My role is to stand before you,as an athlete who has enjoyed many,many years in this sport and who hopes to continue to enjoy a few more years. To stand here and tell the transgender and gender-diverse community that we want you to be part of the broader swimming community.
We see you,value you and accept you. My role,however,is also to stand up here,having asked our world governing body,FINA,to investigate,deliberate and uphold the cornerstone of fairness in elite women’s competition.
And it pains me,that this part of my role may injure,infuriate and,potentially,alienate people from an already marginalised[transgender] community.
Believe me,I have wrestled long and hard with myself,with what to say and do. I am aware that my actions and words,no matter what I say,will anger some people – whether they are from the[transgender] community or from the cisgender female community.
However,I am asking everyone to take a breath,to absorb before reacting. Listen to the science and experts. Listen to the people who stand up here and tell you how difficult it has been to reconcile inclusion and fairness.
That men and women are physiologically different cannot be disputed. We are only now beginning to explore and understand the origins of these physiological differences and the lasting effects of exposure to differing hormones. Women,who have fought long and hard to be included and seen as equals in sport,can only do so because of the gender category distinction. To remove that distinction would be to the detriment of female athletes everywhere.
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The creation of this policy did not stem from “feelings”,what we “felt” was the right thing to do. The policy was created with the inclusion of medical professionals,legal professionals,athletes,coaches and people from the transgender community. It is a policy that pays attention to inclusion,but prioritises fairness.
Ultimately,this not about winners and losers,it is about investigating and developing a policy which accurately represents the science and draws a line to protect the fairness of the female category distinction in elite sport.
Not community sport,not amateur sport — elite,professional sport. I want the broader swimming community to be a place of safety and acceptance for the gender-diverse – and I call on all the federations sitting within this room to examine your own policies to ensure the world of swimming remains inclusive.
It is my hope that young girls all around the world can continue to dream of becoming Olympic and World Champions in a female category prioritising the competitive cornerstone of fairness.
However,it is also my hope that a young gender-diverse child can walk into a swimming club and feel the same level of acceptance that a nine-year-old immigrant kid from Africa did all those years ago.
This is the full version of the speech Olympic gold medallist Cate Campbell gave to world swimming body FINA before its vote on transgender athletes.