World chess body bans transgender women from women's tournaments

rfi.fr:

official FIDE events for women until further FIDE’s decision is made,” it added.Holders of women's titles who change their genders to male would see those titles “abolished,” the federation said, while holding out the possibility of a reinstatement “if the person changes the gender back to a woman.”“If a player has changed the gender from a man into a woman, all the previous titles remain eligible,” the federation said.It acknowledged that such questions regarding transgender players were an “evolving issue for chess” and that “further policy may need to be evolved in the future in line with research evidence.” I normally don't stick my head over the parapet on such issues, but as a former competitive chess player who understands a bit about the game, I thought I could provide a bit of context here. /1 https://t.co/5Ohu7gcIQ6Cathy Renna, communications director for the National LGBTQ Task Force in the United States, lashed out at what she said appeared to be “a case of ‘trans panic’ with no justification, not grounded in reality and once again marginalising trans people.”“The new ‘guidelines’ on trans competitors in chess are infuriating, confusing, contradictory and a sign that the anti-trans movement, particularly those who are promoting exclusion in sports, is spreading into other areas of competitive sport and is a very disturbing development,” Renna said in an email.Meanwhile, the federation's press office responded: “Allow us to clarify that the new regulations are aimed at clearly defining the procedure on how a person who has officially changed their gender may register the fact on FIDE Directory."The lack of such regulations caused “ambiguity,” it said, “and therefore an established order was needed to provide.