Bhen Goodsir: Auckland Pride spokesperson on the decision to take legal action over the government scrapping guidelines for transgender inclusion in community sport

A LGBTQ+ advocacy group is taking the Government to court over issues with transgender athlete inclusion. 

In July, Sport New Zealand announced it'll abandon its guidelines outlining how transgender athletes can be included in community sport. 

Auckland Pride says documents released through the Official Information Act show Sport and Recreation Minister Mark Mitchell had directed Sport NZ to withdraw the guidelines. 

Spokesperson Bhen Goodsir told Heather du Plessis-Allan Mitchell should be having a serious look at this. 

Goodsir says it sends a message from the Government that they don’t see the inclusion of the transgender and rainbow community as a priority.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The government's facing court action over the current situation with
the transgender athlete inclusion in community sport. Now you'll remember
what's gone on here. Sport New Zealand release some guidelines
about how sporting organizations could include transgender people. Then they
withdrew those guidelines after they were told to by Minister
Mark Mitchell. Auckland Pride has now filed for a judicial review.
Been good serves from Auckland Pride High Ben.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hi, how's it going?

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Very good? Thank you? What are you hoping might happen
after this court action?

Speaker 2 (00:26):
What we're really hoping for is that the Minister will
have a serious look at this and consider his obligations
under the law, which is the Human Rights Act, and
what sports and zed is expected to achieve in terms
of including everyone in community sports in New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
So practical outcome would be that you would hope that
transgender athletes will be reincluded.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Absolutely, transgender athletes should be included in community sport, because
community sport is for the whole community. But actually these
guidelines are what local sporting organizers have been asking for
and did ask for when they were developed, because local
sports organizations and the volunteers who run sports across our

(01:10):
country every weekend want just practical tips to make sure
that everyone in their communities can be involved.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Has the withdrawal of the guidelines led to effectively transgender
athletes being excluded or is it still up to the
sporting organizations to make up their minds.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
Ultimately, it is up to every sporting organization to work
through this. But taking away the guidelines as a tool
one means that it's harder for the volunteers who are
running sports to get good answers and to help send
a message to trans people that they're included. And also
it sends a message from the government that they don't

(01:48):
think that inclusion of trans and rabo communities should be
a priority, and we just don't agree with that.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
By the way, obviously had a call this week from
the government on the puberty blockers. What do you make
of that?

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Again, we think that this is just another case of
the government riding roughshod over the Human Rights Act and
making decisions that aren't based on the evidence and aren't
based on considerations of what is the human right of
trans people to have good healthcare and to make decisions
with their doctors about their healthcare.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
All right, Ben, thanks very much appreciate It've been good
so from Auckland Pride.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
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