Megan Rapinoe is no stranger to the spotlight… on and off the pitch. The legendary footballer, who will play in her final World Cup this summer in Australia and New Zealand after announcing her retirement last week, is a big advocate for transgender rights in recent times.
The subject of Inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sport is certainly a divisive topic. It is a topic that has been surrounded by debate and controversy in recent months and years and is close Rapinoe‘s heart.
The attacker, who has become something of a icon for his activism and never-die attitude, has consistently spoken out in favor of the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports and in a recent interview with Time Magazine She once again passionately shared her opinion on a divisive subject.
A few weeks before the kick-off of the Women’s World Cup, Rapinoe said she would be more than happy to share the field with a transgender athlete.
“Absolutely. You are taking the place of a “real” woman. This is the part of the argument that is always extremely transphobic.. I see trans women as real women,” Rapinoe explained to Time. “What you’re automatically saying in your argument – you’re already kind of revealing yourself – is that you don’t believe these people are women. Therefore, they’re taking the other place. I don’t feel that way.”
Rapinoe believes that the inclusion of transgender athletes does not disrupt this competitive balance in sports, which is something that World Athleticsfor example, does not agree with. The chairman of the governing body, Lord Sebastian Coeannounced in late March that no transgender athletes who had already gone through puberty as men would be allowed to compete in women’s competitions – a decision that was fiercely contested by the trans community.
In football, there are indeed transgender players competing in the women’s category. In 2020, Mara Gomez become the first transgender footballer to play in a top Argentine professional league. In Spain, Ana Palacios becoming the first trans player to play in women’s football – she currently represents Torrelodones CF in Spain’s new semi-professional third division.
The topic continues to polarize the sports world and the debate rages. The question remains whether transgender players will eventually play on national teams.
