Transgender and Transsexual guidance

LUCA is committed to ensuring that there is open access to all those who wish to participate in our events, and that they are treated fairly. Under current UK legislation, athletics, as a gender-affected sport, may be regulated by UKA, the national governing body, in respect of the participation of a transgender or transexual person.

All LUCA events are held under UKA rules, and as such, we adopt the UKA policy statements on transsexual and transgender athletes. These policies can be accessed below.

Key Terminology

-Transgender person

The terms ‘transgender person’ or ‘trans person’ are umbrella terms to cover a number of specific terms such as transsexual men, transsexual women, intersex people, androgyne and polygender people, cross-dressing and transvestite people.

-Gender reassignment

Gender reassignment is one of a number of protected characteristics defined in the Equality Act 2010 and applies to people who are proposing to undergo, are undergoing or have undergone a process (or part of a process) for the purpose of reassigning their sex. This legislation prohibits discrimination against a person to whom the protected characteristic applies.

-Transsexual person

This term refers to someone with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment. We use the term transsexual man to describe a female-to-male transsexual person and use the term transsexual woman to describe a male-to-female transsexual person. This is not the same as a cross dresser or transvestite people, nor is it the same as sexual orientation.

-Affirmed (acquired) sex or gender

We use the term ‘affirmed’ or ‘acquired’ in reference to an individual’s sex or gender to describe the sex that the person has transitioned/is transitioning to as opposed to that which was assigned at birth.

UKA policies in summary

The UKA policy statements and how they impact LUCA competition eligibility is described below. We have also interpreted the UKA policies in relation to other domestic competitions/championships (i.e, BUCS).

Transgender

A trans man is permitted to participate fully in LUCA competitions and may compete in his affirmed gender in any male or mixed sex competition. No verification of his sex is required. A trans man should register with LUCA using his affirmed gender.

Trans females may participate in open meetings (UKA permit level 1) and it would not be necessary for anyone to know anything about the person’s affirmed gender. All LUCA events are currently at UKA permit level 1, so a trans female may participate without any verification of their sex. It is only if a trans female wishes to compete in female or mixed sex athletic competitions (as defined in the UKA Policy, i.e BUCS) that it will be necessary to ensure that there is no unfair advantage over opposing athletes. At this point the UKA Policy should be followed and its Welfare and Compliance Manager contacted.

Transsexual

Any transsexual male (female‐to‐male transsexual person) who is recognised under English law as someone undergoing or who has undergone gender reassignment may compete in his affirmed gender in any male or mixed sex domestic competition without further evidence beyond what is required for any other male athlete. Hence, a transsexual man may compete in LUCA events as his affirmed gender.

Any transsexual female (male to female transsexual person) who is recognised under English law as someone undergoing or who has undergone gender reassignment may compete in her affirmed gender in LUCA events. A transsexual woman (aged 16 years or over) who is recognised under English law as undergoing or who has undergone gender reassignment can compete in her affirmed gender in female or mixed sex domestic competitions (i.e, BUCS) by providing evidence that her hormone therapy has brought her blood-measured testosterone level within the range of her affirmed gender or that she has had a gonadectomy. Alternatively, she may compete in a male or mixed-sex competition if she has not started hormone treatment.