Barbara Kay: Allowing Trans Women to Compete in Women’s Chess Would Be Just as Problematic as Any Other Sport

The International Chess Federation has placed a moratorium on trans-identified males competing in women’s chess events

Chess players representing Zimbabwe (L) play against players representing Bulgaria (R) during the 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 in Mahabalipuram, India, on July 29, 2022. Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

Two years ago, with regard to male athletes identifying as female, the competitive sport world presented a smoothly unified commitment to the principle of inclusion over fairness. Today we see fractures everywhere. Female athletes who had felt “gaslit into silence” are no longer afraid to speak out. World Aquatics (formerly FINA) launched an open category to welcome swimmers of both sexes, while restricting the women’s category to females. World Athletics now prohibits post-puberty males from participating in female world rankings competition. Likewise World Cycling.