Really disappointing': Transgender rugby player says ban is punishmentTransgender former rugby player Caroline Layt who played before and after her transition said Rugby league's decision is really disappointing
by Agence France-Presse
22-06-2022 12:21
in LGBTQIA+
Transgender former rugby player Caroline Layt poses for pictures with a rugby ball in her house backyard in Sydney on 22 June, 2022. The Australian decried rugby league's world governing body after it announced a ban on transgender players in international fixtures while it undertakes research to finalise a new policy in 2023. Photo: Saeed KHAN / AFP
Transgender former rugby player Caroline Layt said she was assaulted by her teammates nearly two decades ago, and now she fears a new generation of players is being punished for being themselves.
--
The Australian decried rugby league's world governing body after it announced a ban Tuesday on transgender players in international fixtures while it undertakes research to finalise a new policy in 2023.
Layt played rugby before and after her transition, a three-year process involving hormones and finally surgery in 1998.
She went on to play successfully in top women's sides including representing New South Wales in rugby league, but her time in the sport was often tough.
--
In 2005 people found out she was transgender, and perceptions of her changed.
I went from the penthouse to the outhouse,
Layt said in an interview with AFP. ALSO READ: Famous at 70: Meet African Nobel winning writer Abdulrazak Gurnah
TRANSGENDER RUGBY PLAYER The 56-year-old former player, now a journalist and activist for transgender athletes, said she was physically assaulted by some fellow players during club training in 2005.
--
The following year, playing for another side, Layt said she was targeted for injury on the field by opponents.
Some of those players have since apologised to me,
she said. There's a couple that have not and would not have changed in their outlook or attitude, but the ones that have: I really appreciate that and consider them friends.
Rugby league's decision now to exclude transgender women is really disappointing , she said.
Layt said the league had decided to jump on the bandwagon , a day after international swimming effectively banned transgender athletes from women's races, placing them instead in a new open category .
ALSO READ: Ecuadoran Indigenous protester dies in anti-government demos
Singled out Swimming body FINA said male-to-female transgender athletes could only join women's races if they had not experienced any part of male puberty, deciding that it conferred a physical advantage even after hormone suppression.
We are human beings, we have feelings, and we feel like we are being singled out, Layt said.
I transitioned a long, long time ago,
she added. They don't seem to listen to the fact that it is inherent, and it is also intrinsic to us that we were female from a very early age.
Layt said she felt she was a girl when she was four years old, and if society had been different at the time she might not have had to go through male puberty.
We get punished for transitioning, we also get punished for having to go through puberty,
Layt said. Basically what they're saying is: We don't want you.
She rejected the argument that transgender women necessarily had a physiological advantage over cisgender athletes.
We are not all the same height, the same weight, the same size, Layt said.
She called on the sporting authorities to establish scientific standards on a case-by-case basis, for example by setting a number of years after transition before transgender athletes can compete at an elite level.
For now, she would not encourage transgender girls and young women to play rugby.
I would tell them to hide, Or go play a sport that is inclusive.
she said. Agence France-Presse
POLL: What is your most appealing feature of Hollywoodbets Durban July? VOTE NOW!
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Frequency, the engine powering many of the world's leading streaming television channels, today announced the launch of In-Scene Advertising, a new monetiza...
05/06/2026
Berklee Study Reveals Video Has Become Essential to Music Careers Survey findings show social platforms have become the primary source of music for video cont...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
Really disappointing': Transgender rugby player says ban is punishmentTransgender former rugby player Caroline Layt who played before and after her transition said Rugby league's decision is really disappointing
