This open letter from Arcane Cycling Team addresses the absence of inclusive gender options in the Cycling Ireland membership registration system. While Cycling Ireland has publicly stated that cycling is open to all and that people of all genders are encouraged to become members for leisure and non-competitive participation, the current system continues to require a binary gender declaration.
For non-binary and intersex cyclists in Ireland, this requirement causes distress and creates a barrier to participation. This letter calls for a practical and proportionate change that aligns Cycling Ireland’s administrative practices with its stated commitments to inclusion, participation, and wellbeing.
Dear Cycling Ireland,
We are writing publicly as Arcane Cycling Team a member-run, inclusive cycling club, to raise a serious and ongoing concern regarding the Cycling Ireland membership portal.
At present, the portal only offers two gender options: male and female. For non-binary and intersex people, this lack of accurate options is not a minor administrative issue. It is a point of exclusion that causes real distress and creates a barrier to participation in cycling.
Arcane Cycling Team exists to support people of marginalised genders to access cycling in a way that is safe, affirming, and inclusive. As part of that commitment, we strongly encourage our members to take out Cycling Ireland membership for insurance and liability cover. However, we are increasingly hearing from non-binary and intersex people who experience discomfort, anxiety, or harm when asked to misidentify themselves in order to access membership.
No one should be required to select an inaccurate gender marker in order to participate in sport or to be insured while doing so.
We recognise that Cycling Ireland operates within regulatory, insurance, and data systems that may not have been designed with gender diversity in mind. However, the absence of inclusive options has tangible consequences. It sends a message, intentional or not, that some bodies and identities are not fully recognised within organised cycling.
This is particularly concerning given Cycling Ireland’s stated commitments to inclusion, participation, and wellbeing.
We are asking Cycling Ireland to:
- Introduce inclusive gender options on the membership portal, including non-binary and an option to self-describe or opt out
- Clearly communicate how gender data is used and why it is collected
- Engage with trans and intersex stakeholders to ensure that systems do not unintentionally exclude or harm
Inclusive data practices are not incompatible with insurance or governance. Many sporting and public bodies have already made these changes in ways that respect both operational needs and human dignity.
Cycling should be a space where people can experience freedom, movement, and belonging. Administrative systems should support that aim, not undermine it.
We would welcome the opportunity to engage constructively with Cycling Ireland on this issue and to support progress towards a membership system that reflects the diversity of people who cycle in Ireland today.
Signed,
Arcane Cycling Team
We are collecting public statements of support from individuals, clubs, and organisations who agree that non-competitive Cycling Ireland membership should not require a binary gender declaration, and that administrative systems should reflect Cycling Ireland’s stated commitment that cycling is open to all.
Adding your name indicates support for the principles outlined in this letter and for constructive engagement to resolve this issue.
Comments
5 responses
As above.
As a trans athlete living in Dublin, thank you, thank you, thank you for speaking up and writing about this. The more we raise this issue, the more we can press for national reform for trans athletes in all sports and hopefully advocate for transparent, equitable, and inclusive policies for trans athletes from all NGBs of sport in Ireland.
Cycling is for Everyone to enjoy. Ultra cycling is open to everyone and supports all genders and Flinter groups.
As a non-binary cyclist, I have been personally affected by this. It would mean a lot to me if Cycling Ireland could implement the recommendations described in the Arcane Cycling Team Letter.
Cycling should be for everybody, as a non-binary person I completely support this open letter and hope that Cycling Ireland take it on border. It may seem like simple small print cisgender people, but it is so much more than that! We need more national reform for trans athletes rights to participate in sports