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Göttingen Lacrosse replaces the terms women’s and men’s lacrosse with the terms Low Contact (LC) and High Contact (HC) to focus on playing styles and promote more inclusion for all genders, especially trans, inter and non-binary people. The aim is to make the sport more accessible and open.
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We at Göttingen Lacrosse have been using the terms Low Contact (LC) and High Contact (HC) for some time now instead of referring to women’s and men’s teams. In doing so, we are shifting the focus to the different playing styles and rules instead of focusing on the gender of the players.
We are aware that dividing the world into two genders is not sufficient and that gender is not physically identifiable. However, this understanding is particularly manifested in sporting contexts. Sports institutions therefore have a special responsibility in breaking down this notion.
In lacrosse specifically, there are obstacles for trans, inter and non-binary athletes, as different sets of rules reinforce gender segregation. In transition, for example, it is not easy to change teams because this would also mean changing the form of play. For non-binary and inter athletes in particular, the two-gender division means that they have to submit to a system that they do not fit into or cannot participate at all.
At the same time, the gender-specific rules also make it impossible for (cis-)men and women to try out all the game formats that lacrosse has to offer. As a niche sport, we are always struggling with low membership numbers in our clubs, so breaking away from gender categories also offers the opportunity to make the sport more accessible.
We want a future in which people can play the sport they enjoy regardless of their gender without being held back by artificial barriers. The lacrosse community in particular shows the cohesion that sport can create and we want everyone to be able to be part of it.
For further information feel free to contact us via labox@goettingen-lacrosse.de.
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Glossary:
*Cis is a description for people who can identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. It is the opposite of trans.
*Intersex people have congenital physical sex characteristics that (together) don’t get classified as typically male or female. This can affect, for example, the chromosomes, sexual organs and/or hormone production. There are many forms of intersex, which people do not necessarily have to be aware of. Many inter people have a female or male identity, others have a non-binary identity. People who are not inter are referred to as endosex or dyadic.
*Non-binary people do not or do not exclusively identify as male or female. Non-binary is not somewhere in the middle between male and female, but refers to a whole spectrum of diverse gender identities, some of which are beyond the notions of male and female.
*Trans is a description for people who do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. It is the opposite of cis.
*Transition describes the medical, legal, social and/or physical process that trans people go through to express their gender identity.