Back in 2017, the entire AFL community was in heated discussion over transgender football player Hannah Mouncey and her desire to play football in the AFLW competition for 2018. However, the debate is set to heat up once again, with the AFL now allowing Mouncey to play state league football for 2018.
As The Age reports, the AFL have now signed off on Hannah Mouncey playing state league football, after controversially blocking her bid to play in the 2018 AFLW season at the eleventh hour.
‘‘We are committed to inclusion, and want all Australians to be able to play or participate in our game. These are complex issues and we are considering expert opinion, international frameworks and feedback from the communities that are impacted by our decisions,’’ said Tanya Hosch, general manager of inclusion and social policy, in a statement to the public.
Hannah Mouncey’s ineligibility to play, which was based partly on strength test assessments and a “physical disparity”, was outlined again by the AFL today, as they stated that her ineligibility only applied to the previous year’s draft.
‘‘Eligibility decisions are generally made by state and local leagues in accordance with the rules and policies of the relevant football body,’’ the league said in a statement. ‘‘However, the AFL strongly encourages all Australian football competitions to adopt the AFL’s recommendation to facilitate the inclusion of trans players at the community level until the AFL’s gender diversity policy is finalised.’’
Taking to Twitter, Mouncey seemed to succinctly sum up the drama. “So after all that; guess who’s allowed to play football after all,” she wrote.
https://twitter.com/HannahMouncey/status/963333405621370880
“I welcome the AFL’s decision, and I look forward to hopefully playing this season,” Mouncey wrote in a later statement which was also posted on Twitter. “While I wholeheartedly thank those who have supported me though this time, I will not and I think it would be highly inappropriate for me to thank the AFL for allowing me to do something open to every other Australian, which the science and research has supported all along.”
“Had we simply gone by the research at the start, we could have avoided the whole saga which has taken place completely.”
https://twitter.com/HannahMouncey/status/963300748967596032
“While being allowed to play is very much a positive, the line of questioning I’ve received and the circus that has ensued around my ability to play for the last four months has certainly highlighted two things,” she continued.
“This includes the very much understandable lack of knowledge and understanding around the science involved in gender transition. This is I think to be expected and I understand, it is not something that I would expect everyday people to be across.”
“But more importantly and worryingly, it showed a disturbing willingness by those who don’t understand it to dismiss research and evidence which has been through the most rigorous scientific checks and balances.”
“This seems to be the only area of medicine where people with no background in medicine, science or the relevant issues are more than willing to dismiss the advice of experts simply because it does not necessarily match what they were brought up to believe.”
Needless to say, we’re certain that much more will be said about this decision in the coming weeks and months as Hannah Mouncey gets ready to line up on the footy field for the 2018 season.
