Hannah Mouncey Becomes First Transgender Player in Australian Women’s State League Football

Hannah Mouncey - Transgender footballer

Hannah Mouncey. Screenshot from YouTube video “60 Minutes Australia: Girl power (2017)”

A transgender Aussie Rules football player has finally been given the go-ahead to compete in state level women’s competitions. In 2017, Hannah Mouncey was denied the opportunity to enter the national Australian Football League Women’s (AFLW) draft. The AFLW season is currently underway.

Her “strength, stamina, or physique” were among the factors taken into consideration at the time. Hannah is 190 centimeters tall (6 feet, 2 inches) and weighs 100 kilograms (220 pounds). She represented her country at the 2013 World Men's Handball Championship as Callum Mouncey.

Following hormone treatment, Hannah is currently below the maximum testosterone level set by the International Olympic committee. The original rejection was certainly controversial, with vocal group agreeing with the decision in various shades, from decrying her participation as unfair because of the sex she was assigned at birth, to spurning the very existence of transgender identity.

The latest decision has brought similar responses on Twitter. This one is from a self-styled cycling expert Bolar:

Others such as Dreama40 have been more sympathetic:

I admit i dont understand the whole Trans thing BUT, i do believe that it is very REAL to them and i respect their courage for living life as their true selves because that must be very hard to do.

The sport’s governing body, the Australian Football League, and Hannah herself have copped a backlash on social media following the green light for her to compete. But Twitter user Catkin rejected the negativity:

So did Daniel Carroll:

Hannah uploaded a video response to the latest news:

She was forthright about the AFL’s decisions:

I cannot thank the AFL for allowing me to do something that is open to every other Australian and which the science and research has supported all along.

[…] many people will wonder why I say football doesn't matter when for so many people is such a huge part of their life and clearly mine but to understand why I feel that way you need to first understand what so many people trans people go through on a daily basis and not just when they transition.

She discussed the problems that transgender people face daily such as discrimination when looking for housing and employment, and the rejection of close friends and family.

She was far from convincing everyone, with some accusing her of acting “entitled” to a spot in the AFWL. Web developer and runner Mike Haydon attempted to be a voice of reason:

 

We can only hope that more people online will approach the issue with an open mind.

1 comment

Join the conversation

Authors, please log in »

Guidelines

  • All comments are reviewed by a moderator. Do not submit your comment more than once or it may be identified as spam.
  • Please treat others with respect. Comments containing hate speech, obscenity, and personal attacks will not be approved.