A transgender female player has been denied entry into Australia’s second-tier women’s national basketball league after a panel concluded she was unfit to compete at the sport’s elite level.
Lexi Rodgers said in a podcast last month that she was applying to play for the Kilsyth Cobras, a Melbourne-based club in Australia’s NBL1 South league.
She stated that she wanted to put a face to the term “trans player” that was being bandied around in local debates on mainstream and social media.
Basketball Australia announced Tuesday that its three-member expert panel had ruled Rodgers unfit to compete in the NBL1 this season.
The sport’s national governing body stated that prospective transgender players’ eligibility was evaluated on a case-by-case basis at the professional and semiprofessional levels.
“We acknowledge that we’re still on a path of education and understanding,” Basketball Australia said. “Lexi will provide feedback and advice from her experiences to help us develop our framework.”
“The balance of inclusivity, fairness, and the competitive nature of sport will always be a complex area to navigate.”
Rodgers responded by saying she planned to continue playing at the elite level in the future and that “I hope Basketball Australia understands that this is not the end of my journey as an athlete and that it must not miss future opportunities to demonstrate its values.”
“I am saddened about the potential message this decision sends to trans and gender diverse people everywhere,” Rodgers wrote on Instagram. “I hope that one day, basketball’s governing body can replicate the inclusion and acceptance that I have found on the court with my teammates.”
Suzy Batkovic, a three-time Olympian and member of Basketball Australia’s expert group, expressed gratitude to Rodgers for participating in a “complex space that continues to evolve.”
“As we continue to develop our own framework for sub-elite and elite competitions, we recognise the importance of having a clear process and ongoing education across all layers of the sport in order to best support players, coaches, clubs, associations, and the broader basketball community,” Batkovic said.
