Since women cannot be born with a penis, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has applauded the decision to exclude transgender women from competing in women's swimming.
The FINA rule prohibiting transgender athletes who have experienced male puberty from competing in women's competitions was supported once again by the prime minister. The international swimming federation announced a change in its rules that would exclude transgender women from competing in the group's female events unless they have finished their transition by the age of 12.
Transgender athletes will now compete against one another in a "open category" at competitions like the Swimming World Cup, the World Aquatics Championships, and the World Swimming Championships.
When questioned about the prohibition imposed by FINA, Mr. Johnson responded, "I haven't researched it in depth, but I see no reason to dissent."
He was given a summary of the policy before adding, "That follows from what I've already said."
In the midst of a discussion about anatomy and gender in some circles, Mr. Johnson was also questioned if a woman could be born with a penis.
The Prime Minister said, "Not without being a guy, in my opinion."
He was questioned by reporters accompanying him on his trip to Rwanda if he thought there was a distinction between being a woman and being a trans woman.
He paused for a moment and then said, "Yes."
"Look, it's very, very essential that we as a society be as understanding of everyone else as possible," he continued. I've consistently supported that.
"When you start to go from sexuality to gender concerns, you start to highlight specific challenges."
"I believe I've already mentioned three worries I've had in the past. They have to do with your ability to transition at an older age, the issue of safe environments for women, and the challenges you face in athletic competitions.
These are all really challenging issues, therefore you must use extreme tact.
Stonewall, an LGBT advocacy group, criticised the line of inquiry and suggested that the Prime Minister might appreciate it as a "distraction" from the current political unrest.
"The real question that should be on the nation's lips is this: at a time when we are living through multiple national crises, why are journalists wasting valuable interview time by asking the Prime Minister leading questions about a tiny, vulnerable minority?" said Campaigns associate director Sasha Misra.
We are aware that most people are sympathetic and supportive of transgender persons, who are their relatives, friends, and neighbours.
All that this type of media coverage accomplishes is to make trans people feel less secure in their daily lives and to provide the public less opportunities to hear from the government about the most urgent political issues of the moment.