Renowned football commentator Lucy Zelic has continued her pursuit for fairness and safety in women’s sport, soccer in particular. She has written to Football Australia’s CEO and received an embarrassing and less than satisfactory reply. She has spoken with 2GB’s Ben Fordham about the farcical situation and posted the letter in full on the platform ‘X’.

Lucy told Ben any player is encouraged to contact her and she will lodge a complaint of discrimination under the Sex Discrimination Act. She noted that the Act has been “weaponised” and “turned on its head” for the sake of protecting males who identify as female and it is time to defend women’s sex-based rights.

Players are considering or even going through with self-exclusion because parents are afraid of losing their jobs if they publicly denounce the policy.

Regarding the pathetic response by Football Australia, Lucy said CEO James Johnson needs to answer “why are you terrified and who are you terrified of?”

“If you are not acting in the best interests of women and girls, who are not only half the electorate of this country by the way but who are the core constituents in these competitions, then what are you doing?”

“Silence is no longer an option,” she stated.

She also questioned the new guidelines by the IOC to avoid using phrases such as born male or biological male. Behaviour like that is a complete lie and akin to a communist regime. She said it was embarrassing and they were destroying their credibility. Lucy encouraged all sports journalists to ignore the guidelines and report the truth. 

Lucy has posted the inadequate response she finally received from Football Australia. 

You can also read her letter in full below. It is essential to realise this is not as complicated as Football Australia wants to make out.

Males are not females, and they should never be permitted in a female competition. They can play in male, mixed or open divisions. There is no point in having a female division if males can participate in it.

Here is Lucy’s post in full:

Last night I received a response to a letter I wrote to @FootballAUS

CEO, James Johnson, where I sought clarity on the governing body’s position regarding the participation of trans-identified males at all levels of women’s football in Australia. The statement was sent via a Football Australia spokesperson:

“At Football Australia, we recognise the importance of the topic surrounding our gender diverse policy. At this stage, we are about to embark on a thorough consultation process to ensure that we approach this matter thoughtfully and comprehensively.”

“We believe it is crucial to engage with the right experts and seek advice from specialists in sports science, sports medicine, and high performance. Our goal is to arrive at a fair and reasonable outcome that respects the diverse perspectives within our community.”

“While we cannot provide detailed information at this moment, we are committed to running a meaningful and inclusive process.” 

Ends.

It’s a hollow and feeble attempt to make this problem go away but it won’t. 

It’s also important to note that on March 31, 2023, Football Australia made a similar declaration, announcing that they had “initiated the development process for a High-Performance Inclusion Policy, specifically balancing the needs and inclusion of transgender and gender-diverse people in the sport, whilst ensuring we maintain the integrity of elite competitive football.”

“As part of the policy development process, Football Australia has progressed planning and established a Football Working Group (FWG) responsible for crafting the policy and making recommendations for Football Australia approval prior to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™.”

Recently, sources close to the Football Working Group discussions alleged that they were told it would be released after the conclusion of the Women’s World Cup in August 2023 but almost 10 months later, there is still no policy. 

So why the delay? 

The Australian Human Rights Commission and the Australian Sports Commission released guidelines in 2019 and 2023 respectively. 

In black and white, they clearly acknowledge that “competitive sport distinguishes between male and female categories due to physical advantage acquired in male puberty across the full spectrum of power and aerobic sports.”

Furthermore, they reference the sporting exemption legislation contained within the Sex Discrimination Act to protect the female category in order to ensure a “level playing field”. 

Scientifically, the ASC also recognise that: “given that transition via hormone suppression and/or gender affirmation procedures may not, in every case and without exception, extinguish the full spectrum of performance advantage, the appropriate management of safety concerns if and as they arise will need to be accommodated as a matter of policy and procedure.”

It’s all there from both a legislative and scientific perspective, but somehow, the easier option for some is to continue to tip-toe around the truth and ignore biological realities and the needs of women of girls. 

What exactly are they afraid of? 

In the meantime, I continue to receive countless emails from concerned parents, players and administrators right across the country who have lost players, who have been injured as a result of competing against trans-identified males, and who feel abandoned by the custodians of our game.

“I have had so much positivity and support for myself and my club during this time…except for the governing bodies above,” revealed one administrator. 

It’s such a shame. 

Centuries ago, renowned theologian and philosopher Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis once said, “the truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.” 

It’s astonishing to think that the truth is what is being persecuted the most in 2024.