Anne Isabella Coombes is taking a stand, and she's doing it topless.
Coombes, 67, a longtime resident of Reading, England, swam in a recent Cornwall County Masters Championship and made quite a statement while doing so.
Coombes, who is transgender, was forced to compete against men in the event. In protest, she wore the same men's swimming trunks that the men wore, meaning she competed topless.
"I asked them what costume I was supposed to wear, as there are rules around how much fabric can be on your body," Coombes told the Reading Chronicle. "They confirmed that I need to wear a female swimming costume despite having to compete with the men, which 'outs' me as a woman who is transgender."
"I explained to the person on the phone that they are not allowed to do that, and he didn't have an answer," she continued.
Coombes said that her protest is meant to show that the policy "isn't thought through" and only targets trans people. She also emphasized that she doesn't have a "man's advantage" in athletic competitions.
"I want to make it clear through this protest that trans people are not a threat when it comes to sport," she said. "We aren't winning everything, and if we started to, then I would be first in line to discuss other options. Right now, it is a non-issue."
Coombes did not beat any men in any of the solo races she swam in.
According to the Reading Chronicle, Coombes was informed that it is within the referee's discretion at an event to determine whether her swimwear is in "good moral taste" per Swim England policies.
"Deciding on whether exposing my breasts is in 'good moral taste' or whether I need to cover them up so that 'those involved in competitive swimming are appropriately safeguarded' is an entirely subjective decision of the referee," she said. "In other words, I could turn up to the competition and run the risk of not being able to compete in whichever costume I intend to wear. No other swimmer has this concern. These regulations also mean that Swim England is treating me as a male by default."
Coombes began transitioning five years ago at the age of 62, and had been a member of Reading Swimming Club for 30 years. In 2022, she applied to swim as a female for the first time.
After providing information and details about her transition, Swim England ruled she could compete as a female at a 2023 Sheffield masters event.
"Masters' swimming is usually very inclusive. They do try and let anyone compete. I came second in that race," Coombes said. "The woman who came first was a whole length ahead of me. She broke the European record; she's an excellent swimmer. I'm trying to emphasize that this is not a trans person coming in and nicking places from other people."
However, by September 2023, Swim England had new regulations that called for two categories: female and "open."
"Only athletes who have declared a birth sex of female will compete in the 'female' category," the policy states.
The policy also says the "open" category is for "athletes with a birth sex of male, trans or nonbinary competitors." It does not specify what category athletes who are trans or nonbinary and were assigned female at birth should compete in.
https://www.out.com/gay-athletes/trans-woman-swims-topless-england (Archive)
The tranny:
