British Cycling’s new transgender policy to have ‘open’ and ‘female’ categories

British Cycling will prevent riders who were born male from racing in elite female events under a new transgender and non-binary participation policy published on Friday.

The governing body’s new rules for competitive events, due to be implemented later this year, will see racing split into “open” and “female” categories, with transgender women, transgender men, non-binary individuals and those whose sex was assigned male at birth eligible to compete in the open category.

The female category will remain for those whose sex was assigned female at birth, and transgender men who are yet to begin hormone therapy.

The current men’s category will be consolidated into the open category, in which those whose sex was assigned as female at birth can also compete if they so wish.

British Cycling suspended its previous policy last April amid controversy after transgender woman Emily Bridges sought to race at the national omnium championships as a female rider.

The governing body’s new chief executive Jon Dutton, who has been in post for one month, said he was “sorry” for the anxiety and upset caused during the 13 months since.

But shortly before British Cycling’s statement was published, Bridges used social media to condemn the new policy.

In a statement on Instagram, she called the policy a “violent act” and accused the governing body of “furthering a genocide against us”.

“I agree that there needs to be a nuanced policy discussion and continue to conduct research, but this hasn’t happened,” Bridges added.

“Research isn’t being viewed critically, or any discussion about the relevance of the data to specific sports.

“Any discussion is inherently political and driven by bad faith actors, and the whole discussion is frame by the media