The Parkrun saga over times for transgender runners staggers on, but the organisation has only itself to blame. For want of a clear policy on sex and gender, Parkrun seems to have upset everyone. Last week, at least one event director quit as the company erased its run records wholesale in what looked like a knee-jerk reaction to a campaign against Parkrun’s view that competitors could self-declare their gender.

It’s not ‘right wing’ to understand the material reality of biological sex

This is a fuss that never needed to happen but – like too many other organisations – Parkrun abandoned biological reality when it allowed everyone to choose their sex when it came to their times. Perhaps it imagined that there would be no real downsides and – besides – ‘it’s only a bit of fun, anyway’? But women were right to be furious when it turned out that biological males were taking records from women. Even biological men finishing halfway down the field push the remaining women one place down in their own sex category.

One thing is clear. Whatever the Guardian might claim, this is not the work of right wingers intent on making Parkrun a battleground for trans people. That sort of hyperbole helps nobody, and it’s just not true. It’s not ‘right wing’ to understand the material reality of biological sex. Indeed, these policy failures across society have come about under a Tory government. Nor must it be forgotten that it was a Conservative Prime Minister – Theresa May – who pledged to introduce changes that would allow people to change their gender without medical checks.

The answer to Parkrun’s problem is simple. Competitors should be instructed to enter their sex and the date of birth shown on their birth certificate. Yes, it would be unfeasible for volunteers to check all this data, but the website could add a note to say that anyone found to be supplying false information could have their data deleted.

QOSHE - It’s not ‘right wingers’ who turned Parkrun into a trans battleground - Debbie Hayton
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It’s not ‘right wingers’ who turned Parkrun into a trans battleground

4 1
15.02.2024

The Parkrun saga over times for transgender runners staggers on, but the organisation has only itself to blame. For want of a clear policy on sex and gender, Parkrun seems to have upset everyone. Last week, at least one event director quit as the company erased its run records wholesale in what looked like a knee-jerk reaction to a campaign against Parkrun’s view that competitors could self-declare their gender.

It’s not ‘right wing’ to understand the material reality of........

© The Spectator


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