By Rachael Wong

The US has started off the year for women's sex-based rights with a bang!

If you’ve been following the Olympics, you’d be hard pressed to have missed the travesty that’s unfolded in women’s boxing.

Australian sporting figures have slammed the inclusion of biological males in women’s events at the Olympics, raising concerns that female athletes could be seriously injured or even killed.

The New Zealand National-led Government is following through on its promise to “ensure publicly funded sporting bodies support fair competition that is not compromised by rules relating to gender”.

This week saw the global launch of the International Consortium on Female Sport “as the preeminent international lobby group to advocate for the preservation of the female sport category worldwide.”

England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the latest sport to recommend restrictions on transgender participation in women’s competitions, in order to “ensure fair competition and safety” for female athletes.

FINA’s decision

Despite a considerable effort by the Australian Football League (AFL) to reform its culture in recent years following negative media reports of sexual assault and intimate partner abuse by players, the emergence of a number of damaging leaks and allegations have once again brought into question whether real reform has actually been achieved and the possibility that serious measures are needed.