Is an 'inclusive' gender category the solution to IOC ban on trans women?

Phoebe (left) and Luce want to make sport climbing more inclusive for all. (Supplied: Sport Climbing Victoria) Link copiedShareShare articleIt was at a ClimbingQTs event that Luce first felt "proud" to tell people they were non-binary. "It was the first time I felt comfortable in my identity," the 18-year-old said. "It changed my life in pretty big ways." ClimbingQTs is an LGBTQIA+ advocacy group and the largest social climbing club in Australia. It holds monthly meet-ups at gyms around Australia, where Luce and their friend Phoebe act as "champions", or friendly faces, to introduce and make others feel welcome. For many, it's their first experience of being surrounded by queer community. Luce is non-binary and found a community in the ClimbingQTs social group. (Supplied: Sport Climbing Victoria) "[It made me realise] I'm not actually alone in my experiences," Luce said. Nineteen-year-old Phoebe, who is a trans woman, had a similarly positive experience. Because she was in the process of undertaking gender-affirming care, she was mandated to see a psychologist, who recommended the group to her. "It was nice to have other queer people, especially older people, navigating all the silly bureaucracy of getting on gender-affirming care," she said. Phoebe said she fell in love with a sport that didn't have the "homophobic locker room culture" of some mainstream team sports, and was accessible to introverts. Phoebe feels accepted as a trans woman in social climbing circles. (Supplied: Sport Climbing Victoria) But while both Luce and Phoebe found community in social climbing, their experience of the sport changed once they entered more competitive pathways. With the support of ClimbingQTs, both are advocating for change at the elite level, a process that has led Sport Climbing Australia (SCA) to consider some radical changes to its competitive pathways. For Luce, competitive climbing was a world away from the progressive bubble of social climbing. Despite being non-binary, they participated in the women's category at youth championships, given the binary nature of elite sporting competition. While training for youth championships, Luce recalled overhearing homophobic jokes and slurs from other competitors and they were also frequently misgendered. Luce has had negative experiences in more competitive climbing environments. (Supplied: Sport Climbing Victoria) "[I felt like] they saw any queer person in climbing as someone to make a joke about and just not respect at all," they said. Phoebe also experienced misgendering, including at a tournament where she had to repeatedly correct the judging panel, who assumed she was competing in the open men's category, despite her paperwork stating otherwise. Luce says their experience of competitive climbing was so negative that they stopped enjoying the sport they loved. This was compounded by not being able to compete in an "inclusive" category at national championships. Luce would like an inclusive category introduced for top-level competitions. (Supplied: Sport Climbing Victoria) People of any gender can participate in inclusive categories, but these are generally only available as social (non-elite) competitions. Victoria and New South Wales are the only states to consistently offer an inclusive category at state level, while the category is not offered at national championships. This is despite other, similar social categories (such as the Masters competition, for climbers aged 40 years and older) being offered at the national level. It's something Luce has been pushing to change. "It would give a lot more opportunities to people in the sport to experience high-level competition," they said. After Luce and Phoebe raised their concerns about the availability of inclusive competitions with the ABC, ClimbingQTs released a statement on March 12 calling for change from the national governing body. ClimbingQTs annual Pride party in Sydney is one of eight national events held each year during Pride month. (Supplied: Marvin Pamonag) It acknowledged that several climbing gyms around the country had "enthusiastically" offered inclusive categories in social competitions. "Such moves have greatly contributed to the improved wellbeing, safety and inclusion of trans and gender diverse climbers that don't necessarily fit into the more traditional, narrower gender binary of men's and women's sporting competitions," the statement said. It went on to call for inclusive categories to be offered across all states and territories in Australia, as well as at the national level. "We've got cisgendered members competing and winning at elite levels across the country and around the world," ClimbingQTs national president Nick Rippon said. Nick Rippon wants to see change across Australia. (Supplied: April Bradford) "Yet for our equally talented members that don't fit the traditional gender binary, the absence of inclusive competition climbing categories means th

Is an 'inclusive' gender category the solution to IOC ban on trans women?

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