
Credit: Twitter
Opening batter, Danielle McGahey, 29, will make history as the first transgender cricketer to play in an official international tournament when she represents Canada in the Women's Twenty20 World Cup qualifiers in Los Angeles. Born in Australia, McGahay moved to Canada in February 2020, transitioned socially from male to female in November 2020, and began transitioning in treatment in May.
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McGahay met all the standards set by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for male, female, and transgender players. According to the ICC eligibility rules for players, a transgender woman who wants to play women’s international cricket must prove that her testosterone level has fallen below 5 nmol/L for at least 12 months, and she wants to keep it down that much for so long as she plays. The ICC has also made it mandatory that a male-to-female trans player provide a written and signed declaration in satisfactory form to the designated medical officer that her gender identity is female.
McGahey said she has had monthly blood tests for more than two years and submits his medical information to the ICC, which has a dedicated medical officer who reviews the information and decides if it meets the requirements. "I am absolutely honoured. To be able to represent my community is something I never dreamed I would be able to do. In order to determine [my testosterone levels], I've been doing blood tests every month now for over two years. I also have to put in my player profile who I have played against and how many runs I've scored.” She told BBC Sport.
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McGahey became known after her impressive batting performances in the country's inter-province tournament, which allowed participation based on gender self-identification alone. This tournament did not require any biological criteria, but McGahey was picked for the national team in spite of that. Canada will take on Argentina, Brazil, and the United States in the ICC Americas Qualifier in Los Angeles starting next week for a place in the Global Qualifiers.