The provincial organization viaSport advises that ‘individuals are subject to, and must follow, the local laws of their destination country.’
In light of the ban on all transgender athletes in women’s sport in the U.S., B.C.’s governing body of sport is warning sports organizations to respect the law when travelling across the border to compete.
The provincial government agency viaSport B.C. provided guidance Thursday with a written statement. It reminded provincial sports groups that the “government of Canada advises that individuals are subject to, and must follow, the local laws of their destination country.”
And “all Canadians travelling to the U.S.A., including sport participants travelling to the U.S.A., should consult the Government of Canada’s current travel advisories for the U.S.A.”
A legacy project from Vancouver 2010, viaSport has a variety of duties, including developing policy, collecting data and handing out grants, with funding from the B.C. government.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order is titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” A copy of the order on the White House website lists the purpose as being that “in recent years, many educational institutions and athletic associations have allowed men to compete in women’s sports. This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.”
The order is aimed especially at NCAA competition and on Thursday the NCAA announced that it would limited competition in women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth.
Simon Fraser University sociology professor Travers (they don’t use a first name) said the order is damaging to transgender people, not just athletes.
“I’m horrified. These anti-trans campaigns are really working very hard to mobilize hatred against transgender people when transgender people aren’t a threat to anyone,” Travers said. “I’m really alarmed to see him target people in this way.
“Any transgender women who are hoping to play in the U.S. are now no longer able to do that. I’m also fearful the anti-trans bans will trickle over here.”
Travers said the inclusion of transgender athletes benefits everyone, and playing politics with the issue has inflamed the public.
“The evidence supports the continued inclusion of transgender women and girls,” Travers said. “These bans are not based on evidence. They are not based on science. They’re based literally on prejudice and fear.
“We’ve seen politicians very opportunistically jump on the anti-trans bandwagon as a way of getting votes.”
In a statement, B.C.’s Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Ministry said living healthy lives includes “celebrating differences, free of discrimination, and supporting safe participation for everyone.”
“No one should be the target of exclusion, hate or violence because of who they are. B.C. is committed to the inclusion, safety and support of all people in sports, and we will continue to support people who are transgender and their families.”
According to the most recent census, there were 5,450 transgender women and 4,460 transgender men in B.C., as well as 8,420 people who identified as nonbinary. About 43 per cent of trans women and 63 per cent of trans men were between ages 15 and 34.
NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement Thursday that Trump’s executive order “provides a clear, national standard” for eligibility as opposed to “a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions.”
Count Softball B.C. executive director Diane St-Denis is among those trying to figure out just how Trump’s executive order to ban transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports in the U.S. will affect competitors from B.C.
Youth teams in softball, hockey, soccer and a host other sports have been travelling across the border for games for decades. Neighbouring Washington state has been the most frequent destination.
“There’s a lot of layers to understanding how this executive order applies,” St-Denis said. “There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered.”
With files from Cheryl Chan
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