Trans+ Inclusion in Sport Campaign
Tuesday 30-09-2025 - 09:16
Written by: Max Howard, Nyxon Rockliffe-Fidler, Emily Houston-Woods & Leah Buttery
Max Howard is the LUSU LGBTQ+ Officer, Nyxon Rockliffe-Fidler is the President of Women+ in Sport Society, Emily Houston-Woods is the LUSU Activities Officer & Leah Buttery is the LUSU Wellbeing Officer.
Sport Without Barriers is a new campaign led by the LUSU Activities & Wellbeing Officers, the LU LGBTQ+ Community, and the LU Women+ in Sport Society.
Pictured: Rowan Foster (they/them) fighting Dominique Drage (she/her) at The Sugarhouse Kickboxing/Muay Thai Fight Night 2025. Credit: tom.p.media
The campaign has been launched in response to the EHRC’s new Code of Practice and the expected changes to National Governing Body rules on trans+ participation in sport.
Sport should be open, welcoming, and accessible to everyone. However, following the recent Supreme Court ruling and new EHRC guidance, there is growing concern that trans+ people may face increasing barriers to participation in sport and access to public spaces.
Our aim is simple: to make sure sport at Lancaster remains inclusive for everyone.
We’ll be highlighting open and mixed sports where all students can take part and celebrating facilities on campus that already help create a welcoming environment. Just as importantly, we want to build a campus culture of fairness, respect, and belonging, where trans and non-binary students know they have a place in sport.
With National Governing Bodies expected to review their policies in the months ahead, uncertainty is only increasing. At Lancaster, we believe it’s vital to highlight and protect the spaces where inclusion already exists, while pushing for more.
Sport is about more than competing – it has benefits for wellbeing and community. Through Sport Without Barriers, we want to ensure that every student, no matter who they are, could take part.
