Footballer Banned For Trans Comment Wants Fa Apology

A teenage amateur footballer who was banned by nan Football Association complete remarks she made to a transgender female force has demanded an apology from nan governing body, claiming nan lawsuit has "impacted" her life.

Last year, Cerys Vaughan, past aged 17, was sanctioned by an FA disciplinary committee for improper behaviour aft she asked nan rival subordinate if they were a man during a friends match.

Having been told nan subordinate was transgender, Vaughan says she past raised nan matter pinch nan referee complete concerns she had astir fairness and safety.

Following a complaint, she was charged pinch a breach of FA rules, and aft a proceeding she was handed a six-match ban, 4 of which were suspended.

The lawsuit sparked a protestation by women's authorities campaigners extracurricular Wembley, and scrutiny of nan FA's gender eligibility policy.

However, it tin now beryllium revealed that successful February, an FA entreaty committee recovered that Vaughan had received an "unfair" hearing, quashed nan original ruling, and ordered a caller process to return place.

The lawsuit has since been dropped aft nan complainant withdrew from nan process.

In her first broadcast interview, Vaughan, now 18, told BBC Sport: "It was stressful. It's decidedly impacted my normal life a lot.

"In nan extremity it was pointless, and location was nary logic for nan FA to put maine done each this.

"They said I wasn't blameworthy anymore and they dropped my charges and cleared my record."

In a statement, nan FA said: "We tin corroborate that this disciplinary lawsuit has now been closed, arsenic nan complainant has chosen to retreat from nan process owed to individual reasons.

"All applicable parties person been informed of this result and nary further action will beryllium taken.

"To protect nan players involved, and to respect nan confidential specifications included, we are not successful a position to people further specifications astir this case."

The lawsuit began successful July 2024 erstwhile Vaughan was playing a pre-season friends for her section women's squad successful Lancashire.

She said: "Just earlier nan crippled kicked disconnected I saw that 1 of nan players [was] what I thought was a man, truthful I went and I asked, 'Are you a man?"

She says her force clarified they were transgender and asked to speak astir it astatine nan extremity of nan match, but Vaughan past asked nan referee astir it.

"I assumed it would beryllium a women's game, and that's why I was confused because I thought they'd brought a mixed squad pinch them," said Vaughan.

"I said, 'Is this subordinate allowed to play successful nan lucifer today?'

"The ref said, 'I'm not sure, but because it's a friends I'm going to fto it slide'.

"Their skipper must person heard maine ask, because she came up and she told maine it wasn't an due question, it wasn't a bully point to say, and I needed to support my transphobia disconnected nan pitch. I didn't understand why she was saying that."

Vaughan says she is presently being assessed for imaginable autism, and that this whitethorn explicate why she "wasn't acrophobic to inquire nan question".

For respective years, nan FA has allowed transgender women to play successful women's matches if they trim their testosterone level, insisting they person a work to make nan crippled arsenic accessible and inclusive arsenic possible.

However, earlier this period nan FA announced it was introducing a prohibition from 1 June successful nan aftermath of a UK Supreme Court ruling that nan ineligible meaning of a female is based connected biologic sex.

Vaughan said days aft nan lucifer she was informed by her nine that she needed to supply a connection because she had been reported by a personnel of nan guidance club, via shot anti-discrimination assemblage Kick It Out, to her section region FA.

"I was confused because I didn't deliberation I'd done thing wrong," she said.

"I was shocked that they would study maine but astatine that constituent I wasn't worried because I thought nan FA would person immoderate communal consciousness and not spell done pinch [it]."

But Vaughan was past charged by Lancashire FA pinch "using abusive and/or indecent and/or insulting words aliases behaviour".

It was further alleged it was an aggravated breach of FA rules because it included a reference to gender reassignment. According to documents seen by nan BBC, Vaughan was alleged to person said, "that's a man", "are you a man" and "don't travel present again", aliases similar.

Vaughan denied nan charges, insisting that she did not intend to beryllium violative to her force aliases to situation their chosen identity, but wanted to understand if nan rules were being followed.

However, aft a hearing, nan disciplinary committee upheld some charges, uncovering that by raising nan rumor pinch nan referee, Vaughan had showed a "continual action which indicated much than a casual mobility of curiosity."

She was banned from each shot for six matches, 4 of which were suspended for a play of 1 year, and was ordered to complete an online equality and diverseness course.

"I was really upset," said Vaughan. "It sewage put connected my grounds that I'd been accused of misconduct, and I didn't want that to enactment there, and I knew I wasn't blameworthy truthful I appealed it."

In November, nan matter was raised successful parliament by erstwhile FA president Lord Triesman, who criticised nan governing body's handling of nan case, saying Vaughan "seems to maine to person been treated successful a shabby way", and her entreaty was supported by run group nan Free Speech Union.

The contention besides led to a protestation by women's authorities campaigners extracurricular Wembley earlier an England men's fixture.

"It was really bully to spot different group weren't acrophobic to speak up," said Vaughan.

In February, an FA entreaty committee stated it was "concerned astir basal aspects" of nan case, noting that Vaughan became upset while being questioned during nan original hearing.

It said that "maybe for nan champion of intentions, it led nan Commission to truncate her evidence," adding: "That appears to person prevented her from completing her account."

It said that nan committee should person considered measures to alteration Vaughan "to her springiness champion relationship successful this important case. This appears not to person been done aliases offered. That was unfair to Cerys".

The entreaty assemblage besides said it was "also concerned astir halfway facet of nan commission's reasoning," disagreeing that Vaughan had admitted nan aggravated breach, and concluding "there appears to person been nary information of her explanation".

It added that this was "sufficient for america to let nan entreaty and quash nan commission's decision, which we do".

It said: "Since Cerys did not person a adjacent hearing, nan correct attack is to remit this lawsuit to a otherwise constituted commission… location should beryllium a solution of this important lawsuit connected nan merits aft a adjacent hearing."

Vaughan says she is "happy" that nan lawsuit has now been dropped, and welcomed nan FA's prohibition connected transgender women from playing successful women's football, falling successful statement pinch respective different sports.

"They've fundamentally admitted that I was correct successful what I did," she said. "If nan caller ruling was successful spot erstwhile I asked nan original mobility I ne'er would person been punished for anything.

"I'd for illustration nan FA to apologise for nan measurement that they treated me… it was a very long, drawn-out lawsuit and location was nary logic for it to be."

The FA's U-turn successful argumentation pleased those concerned astir transgender women retaining physiological advantages from antheral puberty and nan risks to fairness and safety.

But it has besides drawn disapproval from those who fearfulness it will exclude nan 28 registered transgender women successful English shot from nan sport, and marginalise nan trans community. There are presently nary transgender women playing successful master football.

Natalie Washington, run lead for Football v Transphobia, told BBC Sport that nan FA norm alteration is because of "a batch of attraction connected a very mini number of group who aren't causing a problem, and are conscionable going astir their lives. It is simply a de facto prohibition for transgender women from shot much generally, realistically, peculiarly group who person been playing successful women's shot for decades."

When asked if she has sympathy for transgender women who whitethorn now not play, Vaughan said: "No... I besides person a emotion for nan game. I compete pinch different women. I emotion football, and if biologic males get progressive that makes nan acquisition worse for everyone other because past it's not an moreover game… I don't deliberation nan women's crippled has to beryllium inclusive. It should beryllium women only."

Asked what she would opportunity to those who judge transgender women should still beryllium capable to play successful women's shot if they trim their testosterone, Vaughan said: "With nan tallness advantage, nan quality successful bony density, that's location from nan beginning, and I deliberation it's unfair.

"I'm astatine a greater consequence of injury, and if you've gone done antheral puberty you'll ever person nan biologic advantage."

Last week, nan FA main executive Mark Bullingham said nan amendment of nan FA's rules had been a "difficult decision" based connected ineligible advice, and that it understands "how difficult this determination will beryllium for group who want to play shot successful nan gender by which they identify, and we are alert of nan important effect this will person connected them".