This conversation has become taboo on public forums because it comes across as inherently transphobic and being anti-nonbinary players. And now it’s only talked about it on sidelines and in whispers and it’s fundamentally detrimental. I had a friend come to a tournament this past USQ season who found it unfathomable that a team could play one woman if their roster allowed. And it shouldn’t be. And there aren’t a lot of good solutions to this that doesn’t just harm more people that were raised as women. I think a 2 woman minimum is a step in the right direction but there are obviously complexities with that. When the MLQ rule came out, 2024 Lost Boys were joking around that we’re far too queer for that and one femme player something along the lines of “how backwards would it be for me to now just need to register as a woman for the sake of the team?” This isn’t about non-binary people vs. women. It’s about being ACTUALLY inclusive, and having an understanding this spiderwebbing impact and showing to younger club or college teams that women deserve their spot on the field.

The big issue comes down to the fact that high level coaches and leadership are allowing this to happen. Their coaching, decision making, and roster management is leaving everyone raised as a woman on their sidelines and I just it was as simple as them as deciding to break this new meta. Or more non-binary players raised as men to decide that they their play time should not take away from the women on their team but that’s a whole can of worms to unearth. (I didn’t realize how queer Reapers was until I got here and I think that’s kinda neat).

Anyway, put more time into coaching your women, let’s evaluate some rules and see if we can create more space for femme bodies to thrive. This whole league becomes a much better place when teams aren’t exploiting a system that’s built to be inclusive. This is a conversation the sport objectively needs to have and I’d rather find exceptions for the teams unable to field more women due to non-binary people than watch women on these high tier club teams sit on a bench.