A trans woman is taking action against online trolls after an image of her posing with her fellow players in the University of Nottingham's hockey team went viral on social media.
Rachel Saunders, a rights researcher at the University's School of Law, began her transition when she was 17 years old and started HRT (hormone replacement therapy) with the support of her GP at 18.
The mature student, 42, who suffers from alopecia and insisted on her X account that she has 'never been a man', joined the institute's hockey team alongside younger teammates last year before moving to the city's Boots Hockey Club.
Now, the goalkeeper has joined forces with two other trans and non-binary hockey players to launch a legal bid through the UK courts to fight against England Hockey's new policy that bans transgender women from competing in the female category, saying she wouldn't 'feel safe being forced to play alongside men'.
She is also believed to be considering what action to take against online trolls who have made 'defamatory' allegations about her actions in the Nottingham team.
'This is a sport all three of us passionately love playing, and due to personal safety concerns none of us feel safe being forced to play in an “open” category alongside men,' claimed the PhD candidate, who says she has 'never played men's hockey'.
Rachel - who is outspoken online in the face of critics, some of whom disapprove that she uses the same changing room as her teammates - is looking to raise a staggering £100,000 to 'cover the costs of a full trial' through her GoFundMe page.
'In the 25 years I have been around the sport and in the 11 seasons I have been playing not a single person has raised an issue with me or my teams about me being trans,' Rachel told FEMAIL.
In a bid to address transgender and non-binary participation, England Hockey announced in January that they were establishing two competition categories: female and open - the latter welcoming all participants.
The new policy, set to take effect on September 1, aims to 'ensure everyone can participate in the playing of hockey in a fair way', said the governing body.
The review of the previous policy began in July 2023, incorporating guidance from the Sports Councils' Equality Group.
England Hockey said: 'Based on the current available evidence, and that hockey requires the physical capabilities of strength, endurance, speed and acceleration as key factors for success, hockey is considered a gender-affected sport.
'Based on this evidence, we have determined that the Trans and Non-Binary Participation Policy should restrict trans participation in order to secure fair competition.
'We are committed to supporting all affected players to ensure they find the right path for them to continue to participate in hockey.'
However, Rachel said that 'blanket bans are wrong for grassroots sports, ultimately harming all women and non-binary people'.
She said: 'Trans women are welcomed and valued members of their teams, put in the training and effort alongside their teammates, and as such to exclude them simply because they are trans ignores the actual reality of hockey as a sport.
'Hockey has always welcomed trans people without any issues, and the new policy excludes trans women from women's hockey without considering this history or the context in which we play.
'Our campaign seeks to protect trans inclusionary sport for all women and non-binary folk, as the sport is there for everyone.'
Writing on her GoFundMe page, she added: 'We are three hockey players who love playing the sport, have built deep connections with our teams, and would be forced out of the sport if England Hockey's policy comes into force in September 2025.
'Every team we play for appreciates our participation, treats us as valued team members, and actively wants us as part of our clubs.
'England Hockey have denied our clubs a say in whether we should be excluded, and have unilaterally decided to bar us from the sport we love.
'We also know that other trans women and non-binary people playing hockey may not be out to their clubs, and we are standing up for their right not to be forcibly outed and barred from playing.'
She continued: 'Each of us has been playing women's hockey for many years under the old trans-inclusive policies, but the new policy set to come into force in September 2025 will force us to play in the “open” category - currently the men’s category.'
Rachel explained how she was the 'first trans woman to play women's hockey at the university level in 2000' and has continued to play for various clubs around the city since 2017, including for Nottingham Trent University and University of Nottingham.
The other two parties involved in Rachel's claim wish to remain anonymous throughout the proceedings, according to the researcher.
'This is a sport all three of us passionately love playing, and due to personal safety concerns none of us feel safe being forced to play in an “open” category alongside men,' insisted Rachel.
'We all play the game for fun, to keep fit, and for the social benefits being part of our teams bring. We all play at a local and regional level, with none of us being elite athletes, and banning us does nothing but harm us and our teams.'
Asking for donations to her campaign, Rachel said that 'fighting a legal battle is not cheap', having revealed that the three players are working with Colman Coyle Solicitors to 'fight this policy'.
'If we win we believe this will be a landmark case, impacting equality in sports across the UK,' said the University of Nottingham researcher.
'Our solicitors are prepared to help out as much as they can but they need some cash flow so that they can stay in business and continue to assist us and others in a similar situation,' said Rachel, adding that their ultimate funding goal was '£100,000'.
Writing on the American online publishing platform Medium in 2023, Rachel explained how when she first started playing her chosen sport at university between 2000 and 2003, she would use a separate changing room to her teammates.
'Though now I change with them,' she added. 'No-one has said anything to me about this, and as far as everyone is concerned this is a complete non-issue.'
She added: 'Being trans is never the issue for me, it is talent, time, and willingness to push myself. I love the sport, and hopefully be playing into my 50s.'
Speaking to FEMAIL, she said: 'I have always been upfront with coaches and the club organisations about my trans history. I regularly check with my team to see if there have been any issues.'
Several sports bodies have recently restricted transgender women's participation in elite women´s events.
The Lawn Tennis Association banned transgender women from certain domestic tennis and padel tournaments, while the LPGA Golf Tour announced that transgender women who went through male puberty will not be eligible to compete from the 2025 season.
The England and Wales Cricket Board said in October that players who underwent male puberty would be ineligible for top-tier women's cricket from 2025.
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