linkThe Tasmanian women's soccer league decided on Wednesday, June 21, to allow male-to-female transsexual Martine Delaney, formerly Martin Delaney, to continue to play in the league. The decision came after several clubs in Soccer Tasmania requested clarification as to whether Delaney could play in the women's league.
As Martin, Delaney was a star player in the top men's division from the '70s to the '90s. Given the player's excellence as a man, and her large frame, many were concerned that it was unfair that Delaney, now two years after sex-reassignment surgery, should be able to play in the women's league. Football Federation Australia, the nation's highest soccer governing body, ruled that its bylaws banned discrimination on the basis of any "attribute", and that included transgender people.
