CBC goes to bat for men in women's sport

CBC News isn't happy about Alberta's new Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, which is designed to protect women's and girls' sports.

Source: CBC News (July 17th 2025)

CBC News isn't happy about Alberta's new Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, which is designed to protect women's and girls' sports. They recently ran a story attacking the law, claiming it negatively impacts a boy who wants to play on an all-girls softball team.

CBC’s report focused on Riley Simpson, a 15-year-old boy removed from an all-girls softball team due to Bill 29, which takes effect September 1 after receiving Royal Assent in December of last year. Nothing is preventing Simpson from participating in a co-ed or male league.

The article painted the new laws as discriminatory, arguing they unjustly ban trans youth from sports.

Alberta’s Ministry of Tourism and Sport says the new law was introduced to ensure athletes are able to participate safely in the sports they love and in fair competition.

The legislation mandates that only athletes assigned female at birth may compete in female-only divisions across school, collegiate and provincial amateur competitions, while allowing the creation of mixed or co-ed divisions for trans and other willing participants.

The government says the law was crafted following consultation with sports organizations, athletes, parents, post-secondary institutions and members of the transgender community.

According to the law’s fact sheet, the new policies apply to athletes aged 12 and up and permit female athletes to participate in male or co-ed divisions if they choose.

CBC criticized this stance, framing the boy’s experience as one of exclusion.

The article quoted Simpson’s mother, who said the law creates a problem “where there had not been any,” and characterized the legislation as “a mockery of the strong girls that we’re raising.”

Skipping Stone, a trans advocacy group cited in the public broadcaster’s piece, claimed the law was an “overreach” that forces “normal people who want to enjoy their lives” out of sports.

However, the province says safeguards are in place to fairly administer the new rules, including eligibility challenge procedures, protection against bad-faith complaints, and support for athletes verifying sex at birth.

“The new system was built with safeguards and compassion,” said a government official. “What we are not willing to do is undermine the fundamental fairness of girls’ sports, particularly as biological advantage becomes more evident during and after puberty.”

Bill 29 follows similar policies in multiple U.S. states and recent international rulings, including by World Boxing, which has set boundaries and testing procedures to ensure exclusive female categories in elite sport.

The CBC article did not mention the grievances voiced by parents and athletes regarding preserving women’s sports from men who identify as women.

The Fairness and Safety in Sport Act applies to 12 provincial sport bodies listed in the regulation, including Softball Alberta, and mandates compliance with applicable sporting rules such as eligibility criteria.