Is it fair for trans women to compete in women's sports?

Honestly, fairness is more complicated than most headlines suggest. There is real science about physiology, real concerns from athletes across the board, and real lives at stake. The question is not whether we can find one answer that satisfies everyone, but whether we can have a conversation that honours complexity instead of treating this as a simple yes or no. What matters most to you when you think about fairness in sport?

Why has this become such a heated issue?

Because it has stopped being about sport and become a stand-in for how people feel about trans existence itself. When we are afraid or uncertain, we tend to reach for absolutes. That makes dialogue nearly impossible. I think we owe it to trans athletes and to everyone who competes to separate the genuine questions from the ideological noise. Where do you find yourself getting stuck in this conversation?

Trans women in sports: time to move past the culture war

Substack 26 December 2025

Trans women in sports: moving beyond polarised debate

The debate around trans women in sport keeps circling the same two positions, and neither one is serving anyone well. What we need is evidence, nuance, and a genuine commitment to fairness for every athlete, including trans athletes, rather than a culture war that uses sport as its battleground.

The question of trans women's eligibility in women's sports has dominated headlines repeatedly over recent years, yet the debate often feels stuck between two unyielding positions. Rather than seeking understanding, we hear competing certainties that leave little room for the complexity that actually exists.

What strikes me most is how this issue has become a proxy for deeper anxieties about trans identity itself. The discussion deserves to be grounded in evidence, informed by the lived experience of trans athletes, and shaped by a genuine commitment to fairness for all competitors. That requires moving past slogans and into conversation.

Read the full piece to explore how we might reframe this debate with both rigour and humanity.

In response to: Sports - Vicious Circle or Blatant Discrimination? (Substack)