The issue of trans-genderism has exploded into fishing with a controversial bang. The reason is that half of the England ladies sea angling team have quit their roles in opposition to the inclusion of trans angler Becky Lee Birtwhistle Hodges. The national press have been all over it and there have been some fairly heated but cogent arguments both ways.
The activist group FairPlayForWomen recently Tweeted: “Well done” to the ladies that have walked from the team. They contend that “if men didn’t have a sex-based advantage in sea angling, womens’ teams wouldn’t need to exist”. Blogger Aimee Battams disagrees saying “all this stamina stuff is bo££O£s.”
Government think tank Equality in Sport suggest the following: “For many sports and the inclusion of transgender people, fairness and safety cannot co-exist in a single competitive model.” It goes on to say that “each NGB should define the priorities for their sport ... with a focus on inclusion or fairness.”
What I can say with a degree of authority is this - angling is one of the the most inclusive pastimes out there. Age,
most gender, race, orientation etc are no barrier to angling, and indeed most of our domestic events are ‘open class’ in that there is no gender category.
However, when it comes to the international sporting stage it’s a different matter. Physicality, stamina, strength and endurance all come into play, especially in a physical discipline like sea angling. Those that disagree clearly have never been there and got the T shirt. Maybe the question we should now be asking is whether there should be
a single class for men and women at all, or should there be a third class. What do you think?
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