by WorldTribune Staff, November 21, 2023
A biological male playing soccer as a trans woman, whose physical power on the pitch “terrified” female opponents, has threatened to file a lawsuit for discrimination after opposing teams in a UK women’s league refused to play against him.
Female players in Great Britain’s Sheffield and Hallamshire Women’s League reportedly began boycotting games after a female player suffered a broken knee while “blocking a shot” from biological male player Francesca Needham.
“When word spread about the incident, some players refused to play against Needham for ‘safety’ reasons” and two matches were called off, Daily Mail online reported on Nov. 20.
The hulking 30-year-old Needham was playing games against female opponents as young as 16.
Needham has announced he will “step down from playing football for the foreseeable future” for the sake of the Rossington Main Ladies club, which is based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
Needham is threatening to sue, claiming he has abided by all Football Association policies on transgender players.
“This unfortunate circumstance has prompted me to investigate pursuing a case of discrimination, as I believe it represents a breach of a code of conduct regarding diversity and inclusion, as well as safeguarding of adults in football established by both the Football Association and the Sheffield and Hallamshire Women and Girls League,” Needham wrote on the team’s Facebook page.
Needham played in two games before stepping aside and scored a goal in each game.
The Daily Mail cited one opposing coach as saying that Needham is “quite a big strong player,” adding that females have “refused to play because they are worried about the safety of the players. My players were backing out of challenges as psychologically it’s quite a big thing. When you are playing against a biological man it’s quite scary. They were terrified.”
The manager of one of the teams that refused to play against Needham said: “I have 16- and 17-year-old players playing for me and their parents weren’t too keen to put their welfare at risk.”
Fiona McAnena at Fair Play For Women said: “Footballers are separated by sex for very good reasons. If you put one male on the pitch they are faster, they are stronger. It is patently unfair and in a contact sport like football it’s unsafe. These women didn’t choose mixed football, they chose women’s football. It’s not because this player is trans, it is because they are male.”
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