Is chess a sport like any other? As the environment is itself giving way to a transphobic panic, we can say yes. While French players have just denounced the sexist and sexual violence that reigns there, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) published a press release on August 14, 2023 regarding transgender people.
The International Chess Federation wants to ban trans female players from women’s competitions
First, FIDE is committed to recognizing” an individual’s gender identity if it is consistent with the identity they maintain in their life outside of bankruptcies and which has been confirmed by national authorities through legal and formal changes “. Except that, pending the establishment of new regulations that could take two years to enter into force, the authority wishes to act on a case-by-case basis for transgender women, it continues in terms that we would have preferred to believe remained in oblivion : ” In the event that the gender has been changed from male to female, the player is not eligible to participate in women’s events, until a new decision is made by FIDE. Meanwhile transgender women have to make do with mixed races (where there are almost only cis men).
While the French Chess Championship takes place from 18 August to 27 August 2023, soon to be followed by the European Chess Club Cup from 30 September to 8 October 2023this new press release particularly destabilizes trans chess players, such as Ana Valens and Yosha Iglesias.
The German and French chess federations support trans people
Fortunately, in the face of growing controversy, national federations have chosen to take the opposite view to the international one, as in Germany and France. The German Chess Federation tweeted on August 18, 2023 :
” The German Chess Federation (DSB) has a clear position: We do not exclude trans women. In Germany, a trans woman already became German champion in the 2000s and trans women will of course be able to participate in all German women’s tournaments in the future. The German Chess Federation does not change this practice. In doing so, we join forces with European partners, such as the French Chess Federation, who deal with this in exactly the same way.
We are seriously concerned that these new FIDE rules may not be compatible with the legal situation in several countries. If a person is legally recognized as a woman, we do not understand what else FIDE wants to check and why they need two years for this – as the new rules state.
From the point of view of the German Chess Federation, these regulations issued by the World Chess Federation for the registration of transgender chess players are an example of how discrimination occurs when the individuals concerned are not involved in any way.
The German Chess Federation is committed to the well-being of all, regardless of origin, age, ethnicity, skin colour, disability, religion, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity. No one should suffer violence and discrimination. »
FIDE’s transphobic rules were found to be incompatible with the IOC and the GDPR
As the German federation points out, the new FIDE rules could in fact be incompatible with the legal situation of various countries: one cannot demand so many identity documents and birth certificates from people suspected of being trans, and then add them to a file. This would be an abusive collection of sensitive data, as prohibited by the General Data Protection Regulation, for example in Europe.
These new transphobic rules, violently absurd and inapplicable in many countries where they would be illegal, also turn out to be contrary to the directives of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which FIDE is required to respect, as demonstrated in a Twitter thread by the trans player Yosha Iglesias. The latter concludes by railing against FIDE:
“If you want to help women in chess, fight gender-based and sexual violence, give women in chess more visibility and more money.
Don’t use trans gamers as scapegoats. We contribute to the development of women in chess. We are women in chess. »
The curious timing of a new transphobic rule at the very moment of a checkered #MeToo
Indeed, the timing of this new regulation is debatable. This is what Jennifer Shahade, American champion of the discipline and well-known ally of trans people (she participated in the definition of more inclusive rules in competitions in the United States in 2018), underlines to Athlete Ally, an association that works to dismantle the systems of oppression in sport that isolate , exclude and endanger LGBTQI+ people:
“FIDE’s policy towards trans people is ridiculous and absurd. It stands to reason that no trans person was consulted to produce it. It’s also sad that it’s coming out just as the chess community is finally taking an interest in sexual assault and harassment. This highlights the link between misogyny and transphobia. I urgently urge FIDE to turn the page on this matter and start over with better advice. »
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
