Meath County Council have rejected a motion calling on the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) to “reverse its transgender policy, for the sake of the safety of their membership and the sake of fairness on the football field.”
Aontú councillor Emer Tóibín, who put forward the motion, said that 25 of Meath County Council’s 40 elected members were present to vote, with 15 voting against, 9 voting in favour and one abstention.
Cllr Tóibín, an elected councillor for Navan, told Gript that she was “very disappointed” at the vote, and the number of elected representatives who actually showed up to vote. She said that all Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors present voted against the motion, while all Sinn Féin councillors present supported the motion.
The councillor said that many people were unaware that the policy had been adopted by the LGFA in 2023, as she raised the question, “Are female players insured in case of injury by male-born Gaelic players?”
Reacting to the vote, Cllr Tóibín said: “In other words, they support trans-identifying males from the age of 13 playing against young girls and women on the football pitch,” Cllr Tóibín said of those in opposition to the motion, adding:
“On an issue as serious as fairness and safety in women’s sport, it’s disappointing but not surprising that all of the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors at the meeting were unwilling to take a stand, even when common sense and safeguarding are at stake.
“They towed the party line despite many of their own daughters, nieces, neighbours and friends being completely in opposition to this policy which was endorsed primarily in secrecy by the LGFA in February 2023.”
In late February 2023, new rules were enacted by the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) meaning that players who transitioned, or are transitioning, from male to female, are now allowed to play in ladies gaelic football. The LGFA’s policy allows both transgender adults and children to play the sport. Children aged between 12 and 15 will be allowed to play if they secure approval from a new Transgender Application Committee.
As per the rules set out in the policy, child players have to submit confirmation from a qualified medical practitioner – such as their GP – that they have or are transitioning from male to female and intend to “live their life as female.”
The change in policy sparked opposition, including from Tipperary Senior Ladies Gaelic Football manager Peter Creedon who told Gript that he felt the LGFA’s decision to allow male-born players into the sport was unfair and could have negative consequences.
Parents, referees and parents have spoken out against the policy. Last July, discussion around the policy was reignited when a network of players, coaches, volunteers and parents involved in Gaelic Games associations vowed to contact the Minister for Social Protection to raise concerns about the policy of allowing “male players” from age 12 compete in the female category, after the Minister said she would rule out changing the law to allow under-16s legally change gender.
The Gaels for Fair Play group said it believed that “the transgender policy of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) breaches equality legislation (North and South) that upholds the right of females to single sex sport. Inclusion of males in the female category is harmful to women and girls and is, therefore, exclusionary and discriminatory”.
‘A GROSS FAILURE OF THE LGFA’S DUTY OF CARE’
Speaking prior to the vote, Cllr Emer Tóibín said that the LGFA had endorsed transgender participation in female football “unilaterally, and without a word to club chairs, coaches, volunteers and players.”
She claimed that the organisation “have since offered no insight into the logic, science or best-practice behind their ruling.” The councillor also spoke on her experience as a mother of four sports-loving children who have represented their county in hurling and football, adding that her female daughter “could not and would not match her brother, in terms of power, strength, speed and stamina, on the hurling or football pitch, despite her very best efforts.”
“The GAA rules stipulate that girls can play along with boys at all grades up to and including u-12 but not beyond this age group. The sole purpose of this rule is to protect the safety of girls and women on the pitch and to ensure fairness prevails.
“Due to the physiological differences between males and females, the combination of increased mass, strength, power, and speed means the force created by a male in a direct physical contest with a female creates a potentially higher risk of injury. It is a gross failure of the LGFA’s duty of care to expose women and girls to such harm,” she told her fellow councillors ahead of the vote.
“The inclusion of males in women’s sports currently downgrades or nullifies the rights of women to fair and safe sport. The only way to achieve inclusion without sacrificing fairness is for males to play in the appropriate sex category,” she added.
Speaking on Monday night, Cllr Tóibín said that “hundreds” of constituents have raised the issue with her over the last 18 months, but that despite that, the LGFA “has shown no appetite to engage.”
“Not with their members, their coaches, club chairs or volunteers. The shutters have been down since day one. They fail to acknowledge emails or letters and refuse all meeting requests,” the councillor said.
She added that some elected representatives will admit privately that the “woke thing” has “gone way too far” and that they do not approve of the policy.
“But when the time came to take a stand, they ran for cover,” the Navan councillor said.
“This, in my view, is wrong and a slap in the face of those who voted for them. They lack the backbone to articulate their convictions and it begs the question, why go into politics if at the lowest level, you cannot do the right thing and blithely ignore the science, common sense and best practice in sport?
“It should not take courage to say girls and women should be protected on and off the pitch. How far Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have deviated from their core vote and principles. When push comes to shove, too many politicians would rather toe the party line than stand up for what’s right. They’re afraid of backlash, even when the issue is as clear-cut as fairness and safety for women in sport.
“It’s shocking that they won’t even acknowledge the concerns of female athletes and their families.”