Trans Women's Ban From Chess Tournaments Sparks Outrage: 'Insane'
a record wave of anti-LGBTQ+ bills sweeps U.S. statehouses this year.But unlike in chess, those efforts have been based on concern that transgender women who have gone through male puberty have an unfair physical advantage over their cisgender competitors.
World Athletics in March banned transgender women who have gone through male puberty from international competition.FIDE's new rules, which go into effect on August 21, state that transgender players will not be restricted from competing in open tournaments, but that they will not be able to compete in women-only competitions.Transgender men will also be stripped of any titles they won in women's competitions under the new rules. "Those can be renewed if the person changes the gender back to a woman and can prove the ownership of the respective FIDE ID that holds the title," the policy states.It also says that FIDE "does not publicly discuss the player's gender change," but "has the right to inform the organizers and other relevant parties on the gender change." It adds that FIDE also "has the right to make an appropriate mark in the Players' database and/or use other measures to inform organizers on a player being a transgender, so that to prevent them from possible illegitimate enrollments in tournaments."The new rules prompted outrage on social media."This is insane.
Trans women banned from playing women's CHESS by the International Chess Federation," India Willoughby, a journalist who is transgender, wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter."Pure bigotry and persecution.
How can you justify this @FIDE_chess?"This is insane. Trans women banned from playing women’s CHESS by the International Chess Federation.
