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Sky News AU
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Liberal senator Claire Chandler calls for Australia to follow US Olympic and Paralympic Committee in barring transgender athletes from competition
Liberal Senator Claire Chandler has called for the Australian Olympic Committee to follow the United States' lead and ban transgender athletes from competition. The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) quietly updated its eligibility rules on Monday, slipping into its 27-page Athlete Safety Policy a section saying it would 'collaborate with various stakeholders… to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201'. Executive Order 14201 is more widely known as the Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports order, which US President Donald Trump signed in February. In a letter to governing sporting bodies obtained by US media outlets, USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland and president Gene Sykes said the updated policy 'emphasises the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women.' 'All National Governing Bodies are required to update their applicable policies in alignment,' the letter warned. The move follows last year's Olympics controversy surrounding gold medalist boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, who are not transgender but reportedly failed prior gender eligibility tests. Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo also became the first Paralympic transgender athlete to compete last year. New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard was the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics in 2021. Senator Chandler welcomed the move by USOPC, calling on the Australian committee to take similar steps. 'The Australian Olympic Committee should be doing what all sporting organisations around the world are doing and recognising that female athletes want to have their sporting categories protected,' Senator Chandler said. 'I'm very glad to see sporting organisations finally recognising the need to protect female-only sport, but frankly speaking, it's taken far too long to get to this point. 'We know that World Athletics, World Swimming, World Rugby, all these peak international sporting organisations over the last five years have realised that women's sport needs protecting. It is well past time that Australian sporting organisations start doing exactly the same thing.' The Liberal called for her parliamentary colleagues to revive her failed Save Women's Sports bill, a private member's bill she introduced in 2022. 'My Save Women's Sports bill is just as relevant now as it was three or four years ago, when I first introduced it to the parliament, and it's ridiculous that women and girls in Australia don't have a legal right to their own sport,' Senator Chandler said. 'That bill is still there and if anyone - government, Coalition, crossbench - wants to pick that bill up and try and get it through the parliament, I think that would be a very useful conversation for us as a parliament to have.' While some sporting bodies including swimming, athletics and cycling have banned transgender participating in international women's competitions, others have been more inclusive. Women's Forum Australia head of advocacy Stephanie Bastiaan said it's 'common sense' for all sporting bodies to reform their policies based on women's sex-based rights. 'We know that women are being injured, we know that they're losing spots at the Olympics and in these categories due to the fact these sporting bodies are not protecting them on the basis of biological sex and I think that they need to put their foot down and make sure that it happens,' Ms Bastiaan said. 'This is a great outcome for girls in the US. The Trump administration is to be commended for its proactive approach in protecting women's sport. 'We need the Australian government to follow suit, bringing in legislative reforms that mandate sporting bodies protect the female category on the basis of biological sex, so that all girls - regardless of whether they're playing at a community, state or elite level - have the right to a safe, fair and equal playing field.' Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown said Australian sporting bodies including the AOC had been navigating the issues around transgender inclusion in a 'sensible and practical way'. 'We hope they continue to prioritise inclusion and only restrict participation where there is a clear risk to safety or fairness,' Ms Brown said. She said given the 'tiny number of trans athletes playing in any sport', a case-by-case approach remained feasible and the most effective way to protect individual rights over 'blunt and harmful blanket bans'. 'Sporting organisations across Australia have worked hard to include trans women and to ensure everyone is treated with dignity and can participate safely and fairly,' Ms Brown said. 'As recently as 2023, after extensive consultation and research, the Australian Institute of Sport found there was no case for a blanket ban on trans athletes in any sport, even at the elite level. 'Its guidelines encourage sporting bodies in Australia to start from a position of inclusion and state that any restrictions must be justified on a case-by-case basis, where strength, stamina and physique are relevant, and be no more restrictive than necessary to ensure meaningful competition for everyone.' An AOC spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.
Boston Globe
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Who gets to decide which flags fly at City Hall?
'I think if we fly any flag in this country, it should be the American flag,' said Hamna Riaz of Cumberland, who was supporting the Palestinian side of the rally. Advertisement 'It should not have happened,' said Sarah, who declined to give her last name. A supporter of Israel, she said the Israeli flag shouldn't fly at City Hall either. Pointing at the Palestinian flag above, she said: 'I want to replace that with an American flag.' Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up The question of which symbolic banners should fly from City Hall is in the spotlight after last week's flag flap, which prompted both celebration and uproar in Providence. The issue is legally fraught, following a Mayor Brett Smiley is now crafting a flag policy to set up an official process for approving requests. His office did not yet have specifics, but is looking at the Boston case for reference. Advertisement Sarah, in the blue T-shirt, who declined to give her last name, discusses the Middle East conflict with Hamna Riaz at a ceremonial raising of the Palestinian flag on Friday. Steph Machado/Globe Staff Smiley approved City Council President Rachel Miller's request to fly the flag last week, which she said was aimed at celebrating Palestinian culture. 'I didn't feel like there were any grounds to say no,' Smiley told the Globe last week, citing the lack of local policy and the Supreme Court case. He called the decision to fly the flag 'divisive.' The Supreme Court in the 2022 case ruled that In the Boston did create a flag policy shortly after that, which says the flags displayed will be 'an expression of the city's official sentiments,' and the flagpole will not serve as a forum of free speech for the public. 'If the flagpole is meant for the public to be able to display flags of their own desire, then that raises First Amendment issues if they start picking and choosing who can fly a flag,' said Steven Brown, the executive director of the ACLU of Rhode Island. But if the city declares the flags they fly amount to 'government speech,' then they can decide which flags to approve or reject. Advertisement 'If they say this is our flagpole, we are only going to allow flags to fly that align with city policy, then they can do that,' Brown said. Governments could still get into legal trouble if they enforce their policy arbitrarily, he noted. Cities and towns have grappled with what to do in the years since the SCOTUS ruling. A two flags outside Nashua City Hall were rejected. One of the rejected flags said 'Save Women's Sports,' and was seen as transphobic. The plaintiffs in the case said it was meant to raise awareness of people who are no longer transgender. The town government of Little Compton has Related : Providence's new policy is expected to be similar to Boston's, while accounting for Rhode Island law. A state law from 1896 says the flag of any 'foreign country' cannot be flown from a public building unless a 'foreigner' from said country is visiting as a guest. The penalty for violating it is a fine of $25 to $100, and it's unclear if it has ever been enforced in modern times. (The attorney general's office said city and town solicitors would be the ones to enforce it.) 'I don't know how it's enforceable,' said Brown. 'It's so archaic and vague.' Governor Dan McKee's office said he does not have an opinion on whether Providence violated the 129-year-old law, but said he would not have flown the Palestinian flag at the State House. Advertisement Counter-protesters waved Israeli flags on the sidewalk outside Providence City Hall as the Palestinian flag flew above on Friday. Steph Machado/Globe Staff Marc Boyd, a spokesperson for the City Council, acknowledged that last week's events raised questions about the protocol for flags, but said the council leadership would not support a policy that required the City Council to vote on every 'routine flag-raising,' noting that the Dominican, Irish, Italian, Armenian, and Israeli flags have all flown from City Hall. 'Under any process that the Council President would support, the Palestinian-American community would still have been able to raise their flag last week,' Boyd said. Only two city councilors, Miller and Councilor Miguel Sanchez, attended Friday's flag ceremony. About 200 people attended the rally, and a few dozen counter-protesters waved Israeli flags, shouting 'free the hostages' into megaphones. The American flag continues to fly high above City Hall, and was never taken down. The ceremonial flags are flown out a front window of the building. The next flag to be flown will likely be the Pride flag or the Day of Portugal flag, both of which are celebrated in June. 'When we celebrate all of these other cultural occasions, they have not divided the community,' Smiley said. 'I think we should learn from that lesson.' Steph Machado can be reached at
