Danielle McGahey of Canada will play in an official international cricket match for the first time as a transgender person. McGahey has been selected to represent Canada in a qualification match for the Bangladesh 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup. Before the event in Los Angeles from September 4–11, the 29-year-old opening batter met all of the requirements the International Cricket Council (ICC) has for male-to-female transgender athletes. While other sports, such as athletics, cycling, swimming, and both codes of rugby, forbid transgender people from competing in top women’s competitions, McGahey continues to play. Scroll down to read more details about Transgender cricketer Danielle McGahey to play in WT20.
Transgender cricketer Danielle McGahey to play in WT20
According to a representative for the Women’s Rights Network (WRN), transgender athletes have a “significant advantage” over competitors whose sex was classified as female at birth. WRN is an organization that claims to strive to “defend the sex-based rights of women.” Danielle McGahey also termed the ICC’s regulation “unfair and unsafe.”
McGahey moved to Canada from Australia in February 2020 and started his social transition to womanhood in November 2020. She began his medical transition in May 2021. In an interview with BBC Sport, McGahey said, “I am utterly honored. I never imagined I would get the opportunity to represent my town.”
ICC’s Stand On Transgender Women
According to the ICC’s player eligibility regulations, which were released in 2018 (and amended in 2021), Trans women who want to play women’s international cricket must show “the concentration of testosterone in her serum has been less than 5 nmol/L1 continuously for at least 12 months. She should be ready, willing, and able to continue to keep it below that level for so long as she continues to compete”.
A male-to-female transgender athlete is also required by the ICC to “provide a written and signed declaration, in a form satisfactory to the designated medical officer, that her gender identity is female.”
For more than two years, McGahey has been getting blood tests every month to figure out what his testosterone levels are. She said, “I also have to provide my opponent’s information and run totals in my player profile. There has been a lot of effort with my doctor delivering my medical information to the ICC. They have a dedicated medical officer who looks over all of the material submitted and decides whether or not I have provided enough for an expert panel to decide. The hardest problem is having to have blood tests every month since playing cricket requires a lot of travel.”
She continued, “The information you are disclosing is incredibly intimate, including all of your medical data, a history of puberty, and any operations. There is plenty to it. However, the protocols are in place and have been applied as planned.”
WRN Jane Sullivan Bashes ICC For Qualifying Requisites
Jane Sullivan, a WRN spokesman, blasted the ICC for its qualifying requirements. She said she thought sports should be kept distinct based on the sex that was reported at birth.
According to Sullivan, there are already 17 peer-reviewed studies that demonstrate that male puberty has no impact on athletic performance. She said, “Sport is for everyone, and as a group, we don’t want anyone to be prohibited from it. But for the women participating, women’s sports must be equitable and safe.”
McGahey has been granted entry to the nation’s women’s inter-provincial tournament based only on gender self-identification. In compliance with Cricket Canada’s rules for domestic tournaments. Her batting prowess caught the eye of the national team’s selectors. In October 2022, she participated in four international T20 matches in the South American Championships. That time Canada was invited as a guest team.
McGahey was permitted to play as a transgender woman without having to adhere to any ICC requirements. Because, the matches lacked official T20 international classification.
