‘People assume that you’re not man enough’ — LGBTQ+ players on homophobia in Irish sport
Though we have come a long way in terms of openness and support for LGBTQI+ people, sports environments, both professional and amateur, can still feel like danger zones, writes Kirsty Blake Knox
Giulia Valentino, a trans woman and tech worker originally from Italy, began playing GAA and rugby after she moved to Ireland in 2019. She is one of several sports players to feature in a new online documentary, Playing with Pride, produced by LGBTQI+ charity ShoutOut. The film (on YouTube now) aims to highlight the importance of inclusion in sports.
Ms Valentino’s presence on the pitch was to become the catalyst that compelled the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) to review and outline its policies regarding trans players.
Ms Valentino avoided team sports while transitioning, as ‘it was impossible for me to feel comfortable in any team sport environment.’
But she began practicing with women’s teams when she arrived in Ireland.
In 2022, the IRFU changed their policy and introduced a ban on female trans players from female contact rugby competitions. This came a year after World Rugby banned trans women from competing. The IRFU said the decision was based on medical and scientific evidence and was in line with World Rugby guidance. Transgender men can compete in the male category if they provide written consent and a risk assessment is carried out.
As a result, Ms Valentino dedicated her time and focus to Gaelic football, playing with Ireland’s first openly LGBTQI+ club, Na Gaeil Aeracha.
In 2023, the LGFA started to draft policies for the inclusion of trans players.
“The policy was created because of an incident in which I was the protagonist, if I can say this,” she explains. “The previous year a photo was taken [during a match] and was circulated on the internet.”
The photo, which showed Ms Valentino running towards an opponent, was posted on many sites and resulted in abuse directed at her.
At a subsequent match, the game was stopped after the first break in play over the presence of Ms Valentino on the pitch. The match resumed, and the opposing side did not launch any appeal.
Online, disinformation spread about Ms Valentino, with some claiming she had scored multiple goals during the match, which was not the case.
This incident resulted in the LGFA reviewing whether trans women would be able to compete. The organisation now allows transgender women and girls to play the sport except in circumstances where an “unacceptable risk” arises. Players aged 16 and over must also submit a confirmation from a medical practitioner or a Gender Recognition Certificate.
“It was obviously a hard time in my life. I was finding three or four articles a day on the internet [about me] for weeks,” she says.
“I was scared to leave my house because you never know what people are capable of, to be honest… I have a thick skin but I did feel unsafe going to training and going to matches, especially playing away. You never know what crowd is going to be there to welcome you,” she says.
‘It’s alright having the head honchos going to a Pride parade — but does that translate to a rural club?’
The right direction
Ms Valentino thinks moving forward there needs to be greater investment in data in order