'Liberalizing the right to play': German soccer association to let transgender athletes choose which gender they play against

Germany's top soccer association has decided that transgender athletes can now self-identify their gender in order to be in compliance with new German laws.

The Deutscher Fussball-Bund, or German Football Association, held a workshop in Frankfurt recently to discuss how the governing body can implement changes in its soccer leagues.

The DFB said it was continuing its course on "liberalizing the right to play for transgender and intersex people."

Consistently using the word "Spielrecht," which means "right to play," the DFB stated that for the 2025/2026 season transgender athletes will henceforth have the right to "self-determination" and choose whether to play against males or females.

New German laws surrounding self-identification come into effect on November 1, 2024, the association said.

The DFB claimed that the legislation makes it easier for "trans-sex, inter-sex and non-binary" people to have their gender and first name changed on government documents.

The association also put emphasis on the need to create provisions for those who are currently going through a gender transition, as well as those who "do not have a binary gender entry." This is presumably referring to those who believe they are nonbinary or without a specific gender.

'Sometimes it starts with the opposing teams or an ignorant referee and often discrimination continues on social media.'

The soccer group cited figures from May 2022, stating that 2,228 people in Germany are "neither men nor women" and that another 969 describe themselves as gender "diverse."

With Germany's latest population count at about 83,445,000, this means that the DFB is making policy changes to suit approximately 0.00383% of the population. The number of those in that category who also play soccer professionally is likely a fraction of the percentage.

The workshop officially featured transgender activists, as well as the "lesbian and gay association." The association cited attendees who "emphasized" how important football is for men who believe they are women, claiming that when playing as women they don't have to "pretend."

"Sometimes it starts with the opposing teams or an ignorant referee and often discrimination continues on social media," said Marius Schöpper, a male who alleges to be female.

According to Reduxx, activist Julia Monro, formerly known as Ronny Pries, also attended the event. Monro has allegedly claimed that children as young as 3 can identifying as transgender.

Monro has also produced a video documentary titled "Transkids – Different but Normal." The documentary concerns four girls who identify as boys, who are taken to a farm to "support them in their transition process."

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