Mick Hartley

Emily Bridges in Vogue – I Was Banned From Competitive Cycling Because I’m Trans. That Won’t Stop Me Fighting For My Rights.

No, he hasn't been banned from competitive cycling. He can race as a man – which is what he is – or in the open category. He can't race in the women's category, though, because he's not a woman, and his male biology and physique gives him an unfair advantage.

See also – The Vogue 25: Discover The Powerhouse Women Who Made This Year’s Line-Up. "Vogue honours the women defining – and redefining – Britain in 2023."

Emily makes it of course – the only sports person featured, at a time when, with the Lionesses, women's sport is at last making the news.

Professional cyclist Emily Bridges never wanted to be a campaigner. Before May this year, she only had one goal: competing for Great Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Then the British Cycling Federation banned transgender athletes from the sport. 

Again – no. Transgender athletes have not been banned from the sport. Men have been banned from competing in women's races. That's it. That's all.

I'll admit, mind, that I'm not sure about trans men. Can they compete in men's races? I could check, I suppose, but somehow the issue never arises….