From Iceland — No expert was consulted in the decision of the Icelandic Swimming Association
The Icelandic Swimming Association (SSÍ) supported rules that prohibit trans women from competing in the women’s category at the world championships without consulting experts. The ferret newspaper.
SSÍ is under criticism for this decision especially because experts were not consulted before the decision was made and the decision was not based on the best information.
“SSÍ made this decision, which concerns transgender people in Iceland, without consulting the organization Trans Ísland or other transgender people in Iceland. It was a mistake,” says the chairman of Trans Ísland, Viima Lampinen.
In a joint statement from Trans Ísland and other organizations, SSÍ is encouraged to withdraw its vote. If it is not possible to withdraw the vote, SSÍ’s joint statement encourages them to issue a statement that they cannot support the vote and apologize to transgender people in Iceland. The statement also calls on all sports federations to speak out against the exclusion of transgender people.
“There are no definitive definitions of what exactly male or female is, the variation is so great that science cannot give a complete answer. But according to Western beliefs, there are only two categories, women and men, and in sports this definition is very important,” says Viima. “That’s why it’s easy to have all kinds of discussions about sex and gender in sports that aren’t based on biology but on the idea of dividing people into two categories.” However, this division is not justified when the biology is considered further.”
Viima believes that the IAF gained support for this decision because it only sought comments from supporters and did not seek input from LGBTQ+ organizations.
“I think the International Swimming Federation has gone too far and I think these people didn’t really understand what they were doing,” says Viima. “I am also very sorry that those of us who have expertise in the matter were not consulted before this decision was made.
Viima believes that these decisions are directly related to movements that limit the rights of women and minorities.
“Because you can’t regulate women and limit their rights and power, all kinds of minorities are often targeted, especially trans women, who become easy targets,” says Viima. “When attitudes are generally against transgender people, it doesn’t take much to convince people of such a ban, even though it goes against science. Uninformed and misguided people trying to do the right thing can easily make a mistake and that’s what I believe happened here.”
Trans women face a ban from the International Swimming Federation, but trans men have no ban.
All women, including trans women, should be allowed to compete in the women’s category. I would go so far as to say that a competition like this demeans sports and that people who create such a competition do not understand what high-performance sports are all about.”
“On the one hand, it’s about this desire to control women’s bodies, and on the other hand, the transphobic thinking that transwomen are not women, but men in dresses. This thinking seems difficult to eliminate from society,” says Viima. “The result is that trans women are dehumanized, their rights are denied and their lives are threatened because they are subjected to a lot of physical and mental violence, exclusion and discrimination.”
Viima says the idea that trans women have an advantage simply because they were born with a male body is inaccurate. They also mention that other physical characteristics such as height, foot size and leg length are not used to ban athletes from competing, so why should trans women’s characteristics be treated differently.
The International Swimming Federation has put forward the idea of creating an open competition for trans competitors. Viima considers this unnecessary and unfair.
“I think this open party belittles accomplished athletes. It’s unexciting to sign up for a category where there will never be enough participants to create a real competition, plus there is no respect, tradition or history attached to the category and they never get airtime on television,” says Viima. “So I just think it’s outrageous and unnecessary.” All women, including trans women, should be allowed to compete in the women’s category. I would go so far as to say that a competition like this demeans sports and that people who create such a competition do not understand what high-performance sports are all about.”
Viima says that fearing transgender women in sports ultimately reduces sports to a physical activity based solely on body numbers. They compare it to awarding gold to the heaviest sumo wrestler or the highest average to the winning basketball team.
“I want to see trans people prosper and succeed in sports, and if they can only participate with some exceptions, the competition is not equal, but that is the justification used for these special rules,” says Viima.
The chairman of SSÍ, Björn Sigurðsson, said in an interview that criticism and accusations of prejudice are hurtful.
“SSÍ is just facing the consequences of its actions,” says Viima. “There were many organizations that condemned this decision and if there is no prejudice along the way, we need to see that.” They can invite us to discuss the issues and not have to make themselves a victim.”