The International Chess Federation (FIDE) He assured that they have received more and more requests for the recognition of players who identify as transgender, so the presence of these athletes in women’s competitions would depend on a case-by-case analysis, something that could take several years. For that reason, the body made the decision to exclude trans people from the competitive contest within this category.
The decision has unleashed criticism among the players and transgender groups, who claim that there is no physical advantage in chess. Cathy Renna, director of communications National LGBTQ Task Force, stressed: “It is a case of ‘trans panic’ without justification, without foundation in reality and that once again marginalizes trans people.” “FIDE has published a rule to ban trans women from competing in women’s events, as if they were the biggest threat to women in chess,” he stated. Yosha Iglesiastransgender chess player
However, in a statement, the organization clarified: “Trans legislation is developing rapidly in many countries and many sports bodies are adopting their own policies. FIDE will closely follow this evolution and see how we can apply it to the world of chess. Two years is a reasonable window of vision to fully analyze these developments. It is about setting a certain period for a new reiteration of these policies, without rushing”.
On the other hand, FIDE has responded that they seek to “clearly define the procedure by which a person who has officially changed their gender to register in the organization’s Board of Directors.” With this regulation, the organization follows in the footsteps of other international federations, such as the athletics, swimming or rugby, which have expressly prohibited the participation of trans athletes in female events.
The new regulations, approved by the FIDE council this month, will come into force on August 21 and require transgender people to provide “sufficient evidence of a gender change that complies with their national laws and regulations.” “In the event that the gender has been changed from male to female, the player will not have the right to participate in official FIDE events for women until FIDE makes a new decision,” the Federation concluded.
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