U.N. official discusses report on 'discrimination' against women due to trans athletes

An August study conducted by the United Nations highlights how female athletes are increasingly losing to men in sports competitions as a consequence of rules that allow for transgender-identifying individuals’ participation.

The report, “Violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences,” states that “by [March 30, 2024], over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports.”

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The study’s primary author, Reem Alsalem, recently said that this trend represents one of the newest types of discrimination directed toward women and girls.

“As patriarchal structures continue to evolve, women and girls in sport are experiencing new forms of discrimination based on their sex,” she stated during an address to the UN General Assembly on Oct. 8. “One glaring example is opening the female category of sports to males, further undermining their access to equal opportunities and the right to participate in safety, dignity and fairness.”

During her speech, Alsalem stressed that large governance structures often fail to adequately protect victims of discrimination from further harm due to fear of political consequences.

“Impunity fosters the culture of silence and injustice, and that is brought about in part by the autonomous regulatory frameworks of sports organizations that we have, which non sufficiently incorporated human rights lens or framework in the work, and they tend to prioritize reputation and winning over justice and accountability to victims,” she noted.

Alsalem also said that while she appreciated efforts to reverse this trend by imposing unique requirements on biological men in women’s sports, these efforts are insufficient to restore competitive equality.

“Some sports federations mandate testosterone suppression for athletes in order to qualify for female categories in elite sports,” Alsalem wrote in her report. “However, pharmaceutical testosterone suppression for genetically male athletes — irrespective of how they identify — will not eliminate the set of comparative performance advantages they have already acquired.”

The UN appointed Alsalem to the office of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls in 2021. 

According to her U.N. web page, she functions as an “independent consultant on gender issues, the rights of refugees and migrants, transitional justice and humanitarian response.” Prior to her appointment as Special Rapporteur at the UN, she held multiple positions in academia and at multiple think tanks.

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In response to men competing in women’s sports, former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines recently founded “Project BOYcott.” According to the Riley Gaines Center’s website, Project BOYcott is  “dedicated to celebrating and supporting women and girls who have the courage to say ‘no’ to unfair and unsafe competition.”

“We are here to support and empower women and girls to take a stand for truth. Through this initiative, we are celebrating those who dare speak up loudly and refuse to surrender their sports and spaces to men,” Gaines has stated. “We stand with these athletes, and through Project BOYcott, we’ll continue to fight for the integrity of women’s sports.”

Campus Reform has reached out to Reem Alsalem for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.