A Canadian transgender rugby player has complained about her unwelcoming female teammates as footage shows the athlete baring her teeth during her first match on the women’s team.
Maeryn Gellhaus, 48, joined the senior women’s team for the Edmonton Clansmen Rugby club in May, just four months after starting to transition from male to female, reported Reduxx.
Video of Gellhaus’ first match with the team on June 22 shows her towering over the other players as she enters the scrum. Many of her teammates appear to be in their mid-to-late 20s.
After learning that several were worried about being injured while playing with Gellhaus, she took to Instagram claiming they had made her feel unwelcome.
‘There are a lot of girls that have been absolutely amazing to me there. But there is an underlying feeling that some don’t want me there. Badly,’ Gellhaus said in a post seen by Reduxx.
Maeryn Gellhaus (pictured), 48, joined the senior women’s team for the Edmonton Clansmen Rugby club in May, just four months after starting to transition from male to female
During Gellhaus’ first match with the women’s team on June 22 she was seen towering over the other players and baring her teeth while entering the scrum
‘It hasn’t been figured out yet. I’m trying to decide if it’s worth the struggle. I want to be celebrated, not tolerated.’
Video shared on X showed Gellhaus celebrating with her teammates following their match by shot gunning beers.
Gellhaus posted about joining the women’s team on May 29 claiming to have played nearly 300 games as a male but said she never fit in with the men’s team.
‘I’ve played almost 300 games for my club. Played on every team possible. But the reason I never really fit in was because I was never really on the RIGHT team,’ Gellhaus reportedly wrote in one post.
‘Until tonight… tonight the Clanswomen allowed me to join them. So for once (maybe just once) I can take the pitch as myself for the right team.’
Many of Gellhaus’ teammates appear to be in their mid-to-late 20s
Video showed Gellhaus celebrating with her teammates following their match by shot gunning beers – despite saying she felt unwelcomed by them
Members of the Clanswomen’s team said they have safety concerns about playing with Gellhaus but were told it is policy that she can play with the women’s team
Members of the Clanswomen’s team said they were not consulted about Gellhaus joining team and many have safety concerns.
‘It’s safety and fairness of sport. It’s pretty f****d up that one person’s “feelings” trump legitimate concerns of safety from our women. Our opinions and feelings don’t matter,’ an anonymous player told Reduxx.
‘In an aggressive contact sport like rugby, where your only required protection is a mouth guard, why do we have to argue over safety and explain the risks of women versus men?’
Several of the women said they approached Canada’s governing body for rugby, Rugby Canada, about the issue but were told they must comply with the current policy.
Gellhaus, a biological male, being transitioning genders and started hormone therapy in February, according to an Instagram post on June 4
She joined the senior women’s team for the Edmonton Clansmen Rugby club in May, but many of the women said they were not consulted about her participation
In January 2019 Rugby Canada adopted a trans inclusion policy that allows players to participate on teams for the gender they identify as.
The policy states: ‘[Players] should be able to participate as the gender with which they identify and not be subject to requirements for disclosure of personal information beyond those required of cisgender athletes. Nor should there be any requirement for hormonal therapy or surgery.’
Gellhaus began transitioning genders and started hormone therapy in February, according to an Instagram post on June 4.
‘I’m only 4 months deep into HRT [hormone replacement therapy]. I haven’t had [facial feminization surgery]. I still boy-mode mostly,’ she said.