Gender Inclusivity

On inclusivity in Sport

Much of sport is organized by sex or gender; however, not every athlete fits into or identifies with the binary of male and female.

As an advocate for sport that is fair, safe and open, the CCES has developed resources for the Canadian sport community to provide information and guidance for the inclusion of trans athletes, and to make Canadian sport a positive space for all athletes.

In 2012, the CCES released a report entitled, “Sport in Transition: Making Sport in Canada More Responsible for Gender Inclusivity.” The report concludes that, because variations in sex development exist, individuals should have the right to compete without question in the gender they feel they are or have always identified with, and emphasizes that this right to gender self-identification carries both the privilege of inclusion and the responsibility for fair play.

In 2016, the CCES released a policy guidance document designed to help sport organizations develop their own trans inclusion policies. “Creating Inclusive Environments for Trans Participants in Canadian Sport – Guidance for Sport Organizations” provides policy guidance and best practices for sport at recreational and developmental and high-performance levels. Thank you to the members of the Expert Working Group (full list below).

Trans Inclusion Expert Working Group:

• Jeremy Ainsworth – Associate Director, Operations, BC Hockey
• Barb Besharat – Senior Specialist, Sport and Recreation – Strategic Partnership Initiatives, 519 Church Street Community Centre
• Ryan Dyck – Director of Research, Policy and Development, Egale Canada Human Rights Trust
• Dr. Stephen H. Feder – Head, Adolescent Health Clinic, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
• Dr. Hilary Findlay – Associate Professor, Department of Sport Management, Brock University, co-founder of Sport Law & Strategy Group
• Dr. Bruce Kidd – Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto
• Karin Lofstrom – Executive Director, Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity
• Yvonne McKinnon – Research and Policy Analyst, Sport Canada (replaced Tim O’Malley, Senior Policy Analyst, Sport Canada)
• Paul Melia – CEO, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport
• Bjorn Osieck – former CEO, West Ottawa Soccer Club
• Danika Smith – Student-Athlete Services, Compliance Officer and Coach, University of Ottawa
• Sylvie Turner – Safety Consultant, Direction de la promotion de la sécurité, Secteur du Loisir et du Sport, Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur
• Alaina Hardie – Athlete
• Dr. Kris Wells – Faculty Director, Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services, University of Alberta, and You Can Play Ambassador

This except is taken directly from the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport website.

For more information please visit http://cces.ca