Transgender women will be barred from playing for women’s soccer teams in England from June 1, the Football Association, the sport’s governing body in the country, said on Thursday. All public and private groups in Britain must now incorporate the ruling into their policies over separate spaces and services for different sexes, such as bathrooms. Its decision is part of a wider shift in global sports toward restricting trans women from taking part in women’s competitions, amid a fraught debate over gender, fairness and inclusiveness. In March, the World Athletics organization said it would require DNA sex tests for athletes competing in track and field, after banning trans athletes from women’s competitions in 2023. The world governing body for swimming, FINA, (now World Aquatics,) barred trans women from competing at the elite level in 2022.
