ALERT: UN Transgender Res. Alert: Correction and Critical Update

SHARON SLATER | UN ALERT

UN Transgender Res. Alert: Critical Update

CORRECTION: Family Watch is issuing a correction in our recent alert on the UN HRC resolution on women and girls in sport. Our analysis of the resolution referred to South African athlete Ms. Semenya as a “biological male.” A more careful review of media reports leads us to believe that this athlete is more likely a female with a “disorder of sexual development” (a medical intersex condition) that can cause higher levels of testosterone. However, since Ms. Semenya has not publicly released her medical records, we cannot be certain of her true status. We will be sending Ms. Semenya a formal apology. Regardless of Ms. Semenya’s status, whether it is intersex or transgender, this does not lessen the very serious problems with the UN HRC resolution as outlined below.

Dear Friends,

We owe a huge thank you to all of you for your tremendous response to our plea for help with the UN transgender resolution. We are grateful to all who emailed and faxed South Africa and asked them to withdraw this dangerous Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution that seeks to redefine what it means to be male or female.

However, unfortunately, I must report that this UN transgender resolution is still very much alive!

South Africa dropped this resolution like a bomb on the Human Rights Council, allowing hardly any time for governments to discuss it. They tabled (filed) an amended draft of their transgender resolution at the HRC last Thursday. This means it could still be adopted by the UN HRC before this HRC session ends this coming Friday.

And while a few changes were made to the resolution to give the appearance of a compromise, the new draft still contains all the highly problematic language as the previous version!

South Africa is stubbornly pushing this resolution forward despite intense opposition from around the world and even within their own African voting bloc. Perhaps they believe that there will be enough votes from Member States on the Council to pass the resolution, regardless of opposition.

South Africa is also claiming this is about protecting the rights of intersex athletes and has nothing to do with transgenderizing women’s sports.

If South Africa is sincere in wanting this resolution to address intersex issues only and is not intending to use it to bring in a transgender agenda, then South Africa should be willing to agree to the following three changes:

Replace the term “gender” with “sex” throughout the text or clearly define the term “gender” to mean male and female only.
In each place where the resolution refers to “women and girls with differences in sexual development, androgen sensitivities and testosterone levels,” replace the term “differences in sexual development” with “disorders of sexual development (DSDs).” This latter term (DSDs) is the correct medical term for intersex conditions. The former term is a deceptive phrase designed to also encompass men and boys who identify as women to allow a right for men who identify as women to be considered to be females.
Replace the term “women and girls” with “biological females.” This change would make it impossible for the transgender meaning to enter in.

These three critical changes would make it clear that the resolution is intended to address intersex disorders of sexual development and not biological males with transgender conditions.

If your country is a current member of the HRC, please email your UN ambassador in Geneva now and urge them to oppose the harmful Human Rights Council transgender resolution right now! (See a list of HRC members with contact information here.)

Click here to see a sample letter you can copy and paste or modify as you wish.

Thank you for standing with Family Watch in protecting the safety of and fairness in sports for women and girls worldwide.

Sincerely,