An AFL statement released on Tuesday regarding the decision not to allow Hannah Mouncey to nominate for the 2017 AFLW draft comprises fifteen paragraphs and more than 400 words, and manages to do so despite never giving a clear cut reason as to why Mouncey has been excluded from the competition.
However, what has been reported by a number of outlets, including the AFL website itself, is that there were concerns Mouncey would have an “unreasonable physical advantage” over other AFLW players.
If this were true it could be considered to be a fair reason to prevent Mouncey from competing in the AFLW. But the explanation does not stand up to scrutiny.
The current policy in the AFL’s women’s competition in Canberra for transgender athletes is for them to meet the same standard as is required by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
That policy requires transgender female athletes to be below a certain threshold for testosterone, a requirement which, having already undergone hormone replacement therapy for a significant amount of time, Mouncey comfortably satisfies.
Hormone replacement therapy blocks testosterone and boosts estrogen, leading to rapid and significant decreases in both muscle mass and bone density, removing any persistent advantage a male-born athlete might have over a female-born one.
A 2016 review of the scientific literature concerning transgender athletes says in its conclusion that there has been “no direct or consistent research suggesting transgender female individuals (or male individuals) have an athletic advantage at any stage of their transition.”
Without the potential of testosterone to provide athletic benefits, most arguments are instead centred around the fact that transgender women, having been born male, may gain an advantage from physiological differences between the two sexes.
On average men are taller and bigger than women, but this does not mean that there is no such thing as big, tall women or, for that matter, small, slight men.
The 190cm, 100kg Mouncey is only 1cm taller than the GWS Giants’ Erin McKinnon (189cm), and weighs only 5kg more than the Adelaide Crows’ Sarah Perkins (95kg). It would be a significant stretching of the truth to frame this as a David and Goliath battle.
She would only have a physical advantage over her opponents in the same way that Aaron Sandilands or Mason Cox (both 211cm) have a physical advantage over Caleb Daniel (168cm). If that is not ‘unreasonable’ enough to be a problem in the AFL then it should not be so in the AFLW.
Furthermore, if Mounsey’s potential advantage over her competitors is considered unreasonable, then it is incongruous for the AFL to approve her to continue playing in the Canberra competition. The potential advantage at a less elite level of the game would be even greater and therefore more problematic than it would be in the AFLW.
And yet, the AFL is happy for this to be the case.
Instead, it seems the AFL believes Mouncey should be able to play in a lower-level competition and holds no quarrel with her meeting the standards to compete at the Olympics, but believes that a more restrictive standard should exist in a competition that finds itself between the two in terms of the eliteness of the competition.
The AFL statement does say that the “specific nature” of the AFLW competition was a factor in the decision, and there has been the suggestion by some that the potential for an exceptional individual to disrupt what is still a new and only semi-professional competition could be behind the decision to exclude Mouncey.
However, if this is the case then surely the AFL would have stepped in at the Adelaide Crows’ decision to sign professional basketballer Erin Phillips, who was so dominant in the 2017 season as to take out the best and fairest, AFLPA women’s MVP, Adelaide Crows’ AFLW best and fairest, and best on ground in the grand final.
Even Mouncey’s coach in the AFL Canberra competition has said that Mouncey has potential but didn’t tear the game apart. Her exact words: “she’s not Daisy Pearce by any stretch of the imagination.”
Instead, I suspect the real reason that the AFL has decided not to allow Mouncey to play in the AFLW is a cowardly one: to avoid the media scrutiny and controversy that would certainly follow. It’s a missed opportunity to be a leader in encouraging social change, rather than a follower.
The AFL often prides itself on promoting equality and inclusion as an organisation, but at times like this, it feels as if the commitment made to those ideals is only held to when it is easy and popular to do so – a matter of optics and branding, rather than a genuine dedication to the principles espoused.
winston
Guest
AFL W What do you think the W stands for?
Kirsti
Guest
No but an agreement must be signed to play women’s sport and he can’t be changed for four year. No legal forms of ID are required to be amended. Of course this man would have to meet the testosterone guidelines.
DH
Guest
So many ways to look at the issue. 1. We're letting athletes use hormones deliberately now? Can women transitioning to men use lots of testosterone and play in the men's league? 25 years of high testosterone levels and only needing to be off the testosterone for 12 months. How often are the drug tests to see if she's still taking them and not letting her natural hormone levels give her an advantage? 2. If we're willing to let genetic males play women's sport, what exactly is the reason for having men's and women's sport as separate? The same points in the article could be used to just say sports should be open to all rather than segregated. Why can't Caleb Daniel just play in the women's league if he's so genetically inferior? Height and weight isn't a great measurement of similarity. Otherwise it would be weight categories like boxing and lifting rather than sex. 3. Segregated sports is a form of segregation (obv), there's no reason the line should be drawn at how a person determines their own sex. The reason they need to be separate is because of genetic differences between men and women which mostly take an effect during adolescence (that's when the big bone and muscle mass develops). In my opinion, this young lady should not be allowed to play professional sport (at an advantage) but could be allowed to continue to play amateur sport if the amateur league allows it. So the AFL decision isn't a contradiction at all if you look at it that way. The slippery slope would be an AFLW league with possibly a large proportion of transgender ruckwomen, key position players and no place for female-born rucks or KPPs. There's never going to be a resolution to this which suits everyone.
brendan
Guest
ok then let performance enhancing drugs be used. just results in better players, nothing unfair about it. the AFL made poor judgment call in what they said about why they came to the decision. They should have had the courage to say there is a separation between womens and mens sport and that will be upheld. If Mouncey wants to compete, there is a competition for people with male genetics. However, cue the bigotry and insensitive comments if they did say that. There must be regulation and rules to have a viable competition
terrence
Guest
Of course it's true AD, wait by the wireless for the AFL to make the announcement, Tuesday next week to coincide with International LGBTIQ day.
XI
Roar Guru
It's pretty great actually. Maybe you should try it; you might realise it's a happier place for everyone.
XI
Roar Guru
'"Common sense". - Especially if the user misunderstands basic science and ethics.' Thank you. That was the corner square on my bingo card.
I ate pies
Guest
I presume by the "W" that the answer is yes. Of course, this is discriminatory to men, but let's not go there.
I ate pies
Guest
I believe it was a Newcastle team, but that's beside the point. Apparently they were trying different things, that's why they lost by so much...
Geoff Schaefer
Guest
In hindsight, perhaps the AFL should have just changed their logo to 'maybe' instead of 'yes'.
Slane
Guest
Fighting for justice is the worst...
Ad-0
Guest
It's the SJW way of shutting out common sense from their fantasies.
Ad-0
Guest
You want your daughter playing contact sports against someone who used to be a man? I'm sure soccer and netball will be happy to take the players whose parents think not.
Pete
Guest
Interesting......so are we prepared to give the okay for people to have surgery and take drugs to potentially obtain a competitive advantage in professionally paid sports ??
Hunter
Guest
The AFL made the right call. How/why AFL Canberra cleared the individual in question to play in the first place is intriguing. Or was this all just an AFL ploy to keep the AFLW draft in the news? Ive heard a few reports now that Hannah was no chance to be drafted - so why all the press?
Mattyb
Guest
Pete,in 30 years we won't be arguing about anything,AI and SI will tell us all,that's why it's so obsene the AFL have not included scientific data in their statement.
Pete
Guest
This world is just getting far too complicated. Wonder what we will be arguing over in another 20 or 30 years...
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
So, there's literally no evidence to support what you've said. Chances are you're making it up!
Col in paradise
Guest
I have been in Canberra a lot the past 18 months and around a few clubs as my sons had a run with one of the big clubs - plus some mates in other clubs from our playing days - and that is correct and multiply that 10 by the other clubs best players - who would be more likely to get picked up in the draft if the ALFW clubs scouts are fair dinkum - multiply that out across the country - was a club president up there for a number years and the women's comp been going over 10 years and is strong - some great players. So she wouldn't have got picked anyway unless some club has a idiot scout or they want publicity. So would be only a club who loves publicity even if it's over mediocracy - OH Eddy and the Pies might be after her !@!
terrence
Guest
Will be funny AD, But everyone calm down. The AFL will soon announce the formation of the AFL Transgender and Intersex (AFLT&I) competition that will run in December/January each year, which will fit in perfectly between the end of the Melbourne Spring Carnival and the start of the AFLW competitions. The AFLT&I aims to start with six teams, with one team based in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Hobart, and in a first for the AFL, teams not based in Australia, with one team based in Bangkok and another in the Philippines. An AFL spokesperson said as the majority of players will be drafted from Thailand and the Philippines, it was only fair that teams were located there, so players drafted to Australian based clubs can head home for a visit mid-season. A draft and medicals will take place on Oaks day, so teams have 4 weeks to prepare for the first games on the first weekend in December. The AFL spokesperson said this was great for AFL viewers, with the AFLT&I running into the AFLW that runs into the AFL?, that’s seamless AFL viewing from December to early October, where we can break for a couple of months to focus on the Spring Carnival.