Laura Woods hits out at Labor Peer’s ignorance of transgender sports issues

Laura Woods has slammed a Labor peer for being unaware of a recent United Nations study which suggested almost 900 potential women’s sports medals were won by biological males.

Baroness Twycross, head of affairs for the Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) in the Lords, admitted during a debate on women’s sport that she was “unaware” of a study called “Violence against women and girls in sport”.

“Replacing the women’s sport category with a mixed category has led to an increasing number of female athletes losing out, including medals, when competing against men,” Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem wrote in the August report.

The findings were presented in the Lords by Baroness Jenkin, of Kennington, who asked Baroness Twycross: “My Lords, is the Minister aware of a United Nations study published in August entitled ‘Tackling violence against women and girls in sport ?”

It calculated that as of March this year, more than 600 female athletes in more than 400 divisional events across 29 sports had been beaten by trans-identifying men, who took a total of more than 890 medals from female athletes. Does the Minister think this is correct?”

Baroness Twycross replied: “I am not aware of that report. I will read it and respond in writing to the noble Baroness.”

TNT and ITV feature Woods, who has previously spoken for women’s sport, praising its coverage in Telegraph Sportsexpressed dismay that a DCMS minister would be unaware of a report that has made international headlines.

“Mad House of Lords debate about women’s sport,” she posted on Xbefore quoting the exchange. “Why is she not aware of this? Fairness and safety must be the most important factors in sports. At all levels. Including and especially basic. This cannot continue to happen.”

The report was presented to the UN General Assembly over the summer. Woods and her unborn child received death threats after they broached the subject amid the bitter fallout from last summer’s Olympic boxing games.

The presenter came under fire from social media trolls after she praised the furore’s coverage of From the Telegraph Chief Sports Writer Oliver Brown. “Great article Oli,” Woods had posted in response an article entitled: “Blinded by ideology: In the boxing line that undermined the IOC and tarnished the Olympics”.

In a reply to her own tweet praising the article, she wrote: “Since responding to this article, I have received numerous death threats against myself and my unborn child.”

“Questions about my gender (I’m pregnant so I guess that clears it up), asking my employers to fire me, threats to my home. I have been called a racist, a bigot and a sexist, as well as various insults; c—, s–g etc,” she added.

“I was also asked why I did not raise any concerns on this subject until now? See above for your answer. When there are discrepancies with test results that could affect the safety of another human being, in an environment that above all else should be fair, questions will rightly be asked. The answers are still unclear, otherwise this topic would be closed.”

The Olympics has been embroiled in one of the most toxic disputes in its history Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting secured boxing golds despite being disqualified by the International Boxing Association after failing sex tests. The IBA claims that both boxers have XY chromosomes, after gender identity tests that were not confirmed.