A Canadian transgender rugby player has complained about her unwelcoming female teammates as footage shows the athlete baring her teeth during her first match on the women’s team.
Maeryn Gellhaus, 48, joined the senior women’s team for the Edmonton Clansmen Rugby club in May, just four months after starting to transition from male to female, reported Reduxx.
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After learning that several were worried about being injured while playing with Gellhaus, she took to Instagram claiming they had made her feel unwelcome.
‘There are a lot of girls that have been absolutely amazing to me there. But there is an underlying feeling that some don’t want me there. Badly,’ Gellhaus said in a post seen by Reduxx.
‘It hasn’t been figured out yet. I’m trying to decide if it’s worth the struggle. I want to be celebrated, not tolerated.’
Video shared on X showed Gellhaus celebrating with her teammates following their match by shot gunning beers.
Gellhaus posted about joining the women’s team on May 29 claiming to have played nearly 300 games as a male but said she never fit in with the men’s team.
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‘Until tonight… tonight the Clanswomen allowed me to join them. So for once (maybe just once) I can take the pitch as myself for the right team.’
Members of the Clanswomen’s team said they were not consulted about Gellhaus joining team and many have safety concerns.
‘It’s safety and fairness of sport. It’s pretty f****d up that one person’s “feelings” trump legitimate concerns of safety from our women. Our opinions and feelings don’t matter,’ an anonymous player told Reduxx.
‘In an aggressive contact sport like rugby, where your only required protection is a mouth guard, why do we have to argue over safety and explain the risks of women versus men?’
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In January 2019 Rugby Canada adopted a trans inclusion policy that allows players to participate on teams for the gender they identify as.
The policy states: ‘[Players] should be able to participate as the gender with which they identify and not be subject to requirements for disclosure of personal information beyond those required of cisgender athletes. Nor should there be any requirement for hormonal therapy or surgery.’
Gellhaus began transitioning genders and started hormone therapy in February, according to an Instagram post on June 4.
‘I’m only 4 months deep into HRT [hormone replacement therapy]. I haven’t had [facial feminization surgery]. I still boy-mode mostly,’ she said.
* Original Article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13588509/amp/transgender-rugby-player-female-team-safety-concerns.html?ito=smartnews
