Exploring the Health and Identity Impacts of Exclusionary Gender Policies on UK-Based Transgender Rugby Players

Background: Restrictive gender eligibility policies largely exclude transwomen from elite competition. This exclusion extends across all levels of rugby in the UK. The current study explores the health and identity impact of such policies on UK-based transgender rugby players. Methods: Grounded in Queer Theory, a reflexive, inductive thematic analysis was conducted on data from seven semi-structured interviews with UK-based transgender (transmen, transwomen and non-binary) rugby players. Findings: Playing rugby was found to afford health and identity benefits to transgender players similar to those experienced by their cisgender peers when playing sport. Gender affirmation was a population-specific benefit of playing rugby. However, gender eligibility policies in rugby prevent and/or reduce these benefits for transgender rugby players whilst widening social exclusions experienced by transgender people in society. These impacts are experienced across transgender rugby communities and are not exclusive to transwomen. Conclusions: Exclusionary gender eligibility policies can be reputationally damaging for sport’s governing bodies. Investment is needed to research transgender inclusion in sports, and positive, meaningful engagement is required with the transgender communities to mend their relationship with rugby. Growing diversity and inclusion in sports are essential to ensure that sports become safe places for everyone in society and that everyone can benefit from involvement in sports. Governing bodies need to consider the negative health impact of excluding subsets of society when developing future eligibility policies. To provide more balance to the research area, the experiences of cisgender players with experience of competing with and against transgender individuals need to be explored.