Big welcome to the International Consortium on Female Sports

A new fighting unit for women sports has been formed called the ‘International Consortium on Female Sports’ (ICFS). The consortium will spearhead the protection of women’s sports, which are currently experiencing encroachment and intrusion by men who call themselves women, but are biologically male. These men are being supported by many sporting bodies, instead of the sporting bodies supporting women. So, once again women are having to assemble, this time to protect those rights for which they fought long and hard.

Save Women’s Sports Australasia (i.e. Australia and New Zealand)¹ announced on 9th January 2023 that they are proud to be founding members of this consortium. Speak Up for Women NZ² is an affiliate member.

It took women many long years and many hard battles to get sports of their own. It’s taken trans-identifying males (TIMs) about ten minutes to get permission to invade women’s sports if they can tick a few boxes which ostensibly make them exactly like women. The purpose of the ICFS is to “To serve as the key international lobby group to advocate for the preservation of the female sports category.” I’m guessing that the consortium is using the term “female sports” due to the word ‘women’ having been stolen, reframed, and generally bastardised by some to mean anything they want it to mean.

Dismantling definitions might feel like a slick trick to those who do it, but having commonly understood firm definitions for crucial components in life, of which – unsurprisingly - women are one, gives us firm foundations for building and creating our world. It’s going to be interesting to see what those who dismantle the word ‘women’ can build on the slippery foundations they create from that.

The ICFS is now here to challenge that dismantling with the “position that policy discussion on eligibility in women’s sports pertaining to any level (community to elite) and/or involving any jurisdiction MUST involve women who advocate for or who work or participate in female sport and include meaningful consultation with female athletes from the sport(s) in question.” They’re organised and determined. Those sporting bodies who chose women to be the ones to pay the price for a quiet life just may not get that quiet life.

Sports New Zealand are amongst those sporting bodies who sold women out to the demands of transgender lobbyists. In December 2022, they released their ‘Guiding Principles for the Inclusion of Transgender People in Community Sport’ which, appallingly, has no restrictions on a man identifying as a woman for the duration of a game, and then going back to identifying as a man afterwards. These guidelines get a very insightful pillorying here by Garwhoungle.

Naturally, all the political parties had statements prepared to be sent as replies to the emails received objecting to these guidelines (and probably a different statement for the emails they received applauding it). Of particular interest was the statement issued by the opposition National Party. It disappointingly cites the ‘no evidence’ trope, when they know that there are no official avenues for giving or collecting evidence; and also says that “National will continue to monitor the implementation of these guidelines”, when they know that there are no official avenues for monitoring them. Sigh – do they really think we can’t pick up on obfuscation when we read it? Most intriguingly, however, is the sentence I’ve highlighted in bold text in the first paragraph of their template response below. Now, I wonder what that means, and how it will be interpreted?

“Dear ***

Thank you for your email. I appreciate your concern and want to take the opportunity to outline our position. The National Party supports the balancing of all three pillars of transgender participation in sport, being inclusion, fairness and safety. Inclusion can take many forms, not just active play. How individual sporting codes respond to the guidelines will be a matter for them, but we would expect them to balance inclusion with safety and fairness.

At this stage I’m not aware of NZ codes that have issues where transgender participation is causing material fairness or safety issues, but there have been examples of this overseas, particularly at the elite level. We want to ensure the inclusion of transgender athletes does not lead to other athletes ceasing their participation due to perceived unfairness or safety concerns but again, there is no evidence that this is occurring. National will continue to monitor the implementation of these guidelines to ensure they are implemented by codes in a manner that balances all three pillars.

Regards,

****** "

The formation of the International Consortium on Female Sports gives every indication that, far from capitulating, women are gathering in ever-increasing numbers to fight the intrusions into our spaces and sports by men who call themselves women. Despite the many organisations and sporting bodies who are rolling over, this is so not over yet.

¹Save Women’s Sports Australasia Save Women's Sport | Home (savewomenssport.com)

²Speak Up for Women NZ Speak Up for Women | Because Sex Matters