Irish dance org makes right call with tolerant stance on trans competitors (2024)

The leadership within An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG, the oldest and largest competitive Irish dance organization in the world) should be proud to have permitted a trans dancer, a minor who uses she / her pronouns, to compete in a girls' category at the Southern Region Oireachtas earlier this month.

The dancer, who previously competed in the boys category, including at this year's World Irish Dancing Championships, won her age group at the Oireachtas, a regional event where dancers can qualify for the more elite North American Irish Dancing Championships and World Irish Dancing Championships.

Before the Southern Region Oireachtas began, PJ McCafferty, the Director of the Southern Region, a subset of the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America (IDTANA), which works in tandem with CLRG, publicly clarified that precedent had already been set regarding dancers competing in the gender category they identify with.

“I am aware that there is a great deal of upset in the Southern Region about the CLRG and IDTANA policies that transgender Irish Dancers enter competitions that align with the gender identity of their everyday public life; their academic, workplace, social, and home life," McCafferty wrote in the statement that was shared on the IDTANA-Southern Region's Facebook page on November 21.

“I have had conversations and exchanged emails with teachers and parents about the CLRG and IDTANA policies.

“Entering and competing in the CLRG World Championship competition that corresponds to the gender identity of the dancer is an established CLRG precedent, it has been done before.

“A dancer must qualify for the specific World Championship competition in which they will dance. CLRG controls Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne [World Irish Dancing Championships] and the process of qualifying to compete for the CLRG World Championship. The Southern Region is obligated to follow CLRG policy.

“Similarly, entering in the Regional Qualifier competition that corresponds to the gender identity of a dancer is an established precedent for IDTANA competitions, it has been done before including in the IDTANA-Southern Region Oireachtas."

(Notably, IDTANA says it has a policy "not to allow or engage in discrimination against, or harassment of, any person" on a number of bases, including sex and gender identity.)

McCafferty added: “I am writing this post to remind everyone that we teach all the dancers. We advocate for every one of our dancers. We do our very best to be fair to everyone. This situation is not easy for anyone. Not everyone’s point of view or personal interests align. I am asking for your tolerance. You are expected to respect all the dancers."

The Facebook post, shared before the Southern Region Oireachtas began on December 1, has garnered roughly 270 likes, though comments on it have been turned off. The people who publicly shared the post to their own feeds commended the Southern Region for its course of action.

As a former Irish dancer who, in my role here at IrishCentral, has been covering the CLRG scandals in recent years, I was pleasantly surprised by how proactive the Southern Region was in publicly sharing McCafferty's statement.

Further, I'm also pleasantly surprised that the organization is urging tolerance and respect for its dancers - it's a much-needed win for CLRG, which has rightly been under scrutiny in recent years.

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Of course, not all share my sentiments.

Some critics claim the new Oireachtas champion "robbed" a placement and World-qualifying spot from other dancers in her competition.

To me, this is nonsense. No dancer is guaranteed a placement. As the old saying goes, "it's the best on the day."

Other critics claim that the trans dancer has a "biological advantage" over her competitors.

Again, nonsense. Irish dance encapsulates a wide range of body types as well as a range of styles. Irrespective of gender identity, some dancers are aggressive and athletic, others are laid back and graceful. Some dancers have great stamina, others have great timing.

The critics were amplified on Thursday when The Daily Signal, which says it "focuses on underreported news related to conservative policies and interests," ran an article entitled “Parents Outraged After Trans-Identifying Boy Wins Girls’ Irish Dancing Competition, Heads to Worlds.”

In the article, one mother who says her daughter was in the same competition as the trans dancer said: "I never thought I was going to have to deal with this. And my heart breaks for my daughter and the other girls that are having to deal with this. They are too young to have to deal with topics that are going on in society, that are adult topics, that they don’t quite comprehend yet.”

The author of The Daily Signal article sought comments on the matter on an Irish dance Voy board in recent days. The Voy boards, where people can post anonymously, have been a problematic part of Irish dance since I was a child and should always be approached with a critical eye.

The article claims that posters on Voy were "up-in-arms" about the trans Irish dancer's win. While there were (and are) people angry about the trans competitor and her Oireachtas win, there were also posters that were in support of the dancer being permitted to compete in the category she identifies with. (Worth noting is that the moderator of the Voy board has deleted some posts related to the discussion.)

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Also on Thursday, an online petition was launched titled "Protect Female Irish Dancers in Gender-Specific World Qualifying Championships Worldwide." It says in part: "While recognizing and celebrating diversity and inclusivity, we believe that maintaining separate categories for transgender individuals and female participants is essential to ensuring fair and equitable competition."

At the time of publication on Friday evening, the petition had garnered more than 1,500 signatures. Among those who publicly signed their names were several Irish dance teachers and adjudicators, an indicator that this debate may only just be getting started, despite, as McCafferty previously indicated, there being established precedence.

On Thursday evening, after reading The Daily Signal article, I reached out to CLRG and McCafferty for comment.

CLRG was quick to respond with a brief comment, the same they supplied to The Daily Signal: “CLRG is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for every child in our Irish dance community.” A spokesperson said people within CLRG may have additional comments next week.

McCafferty has yet to respond.

I also reached out to my friend Mollie, who, like me, is a former Irish dance competitor. Mollie transitioned at 30 years old, a few years after her successful competitive Irish dance career, which included Oireachtas titles, came to an end. She now has her TCRG (teaching accreditation).

“As an openly trans woman that competed my whole life, I will say I think they made the right call to let the dancer compete based on their gender identity,” Mollie said.

“I know some can argue that men have more power or stamina, but from my experience, cis women have superior flexibility and better technique overall based on their genetics.”

Mollie added: “It’s not the Olympics, it’s just dancing. We need to prioritize the children and their mental health, not parents and their opinions and political beliefs.”

On Friday, I was able to connect with the trans competitor's Irish dance teacher. The teacher told me it's been a "challenging week" and that "given the present atmosphere in the sport, I’d prefer not to engage."

The teacher, however, added: "We’re focusing on supporting her as we always have within our school, and sharing the messages of support with receive with her."

Meanwhile, the trans dancer was subject to disgusting abuse on social media on Friday when one person commented on her social media: "Cheating scrote" and "You and your parents are cheaters."

Thankfully, the foul comments were in the minority of a sea of comments supporting this dancer.

For now, all I can say is well done to this Irish dancer. Winning an Oireachtas is no easy feat, and doing so with the added pressure of navigating life as a trans person as well as nonsensical pushback from the parents of your competitors makes it all the more impressive.

Another well done to this dancer's family, friends, and Irish dance schoolfor supporting her.

And, of course, well done to the Irish dance leadership in exemplifying what good leadership looks like.

At a time when Irish dance has been in the limelight for less than savory reasons, let this instance of inclusivity, tolerance, and respect be a winning moment for CLRG.

Irish dance org makes right call with tolerant stance on trans competitors (2024)

FAQs

Irish dance org makes right call with tolerant stance on trans competitors? ›

The leadership within An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha

An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha
An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG, English:The Irish Dancing Commission) is the oldest and largest governing body for competitive Irish step dancing globally. Founded in 1927, CLRG is responsible for creating a standardised system of Irish dance, music and competition for its member organisations in 26 countries.
https://en.wikipedia.org › An_Coimisiún_Le_Rincí_Gaelacha
(CLRG, the oldest and largest competitive Irish dance organization in the world) should be proud to have permitted a trans dancer, a minor who uses she / her pronouns, to compete in a girls' category at the Southern Region Oireachtas earlier this month.

What is the Irish dancing controversy? ›

Irish dancing results fixing investigation dropped

In 2022, an investigation into 44 people across the UK, Ireland and further afield was announced. It followed allegations of competition fixing. An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG) has confirmed to BBC News NI it has ended that process.

Who is the trans dancer in Irish dance? ›

These days, Hayden Moon experiences gender euphoria when performing and competing in Irish dance, the genre the Australian transmasculine dancer is best known for. But it wasn't always that way—and he had to work for it. “I'm so proud of the work I've done in Irish dance,” he says.

What is the Irish Times Irish dancing scandal? ›

The alleged cheating scandal had broken in October, and 44 of its teachers and judges were facing allegations. Its initial handling of the story had been terrible – often acting as a passive witness to the scandal, rather than the governing body that Irish dancers were crying out for.

Why don t Irish dancers move their arms while dancing? ›

There are several “stories” or theories as to why arms are not moved while dancing. Some believe that the influence of parish priests led to the lack of arm movement stating that stiff arms were less provocative, others argue that the Church was trying to increase dancers' self-control.

Why was Irish dancing banned? ›

History of Irish Dance

Aristocrats and peasants alike joined in the dance, which also featured at wakes. During the time of the oppression of the Irish dancing was totally banned in a move to remove Irish culture from their lives. It also included sport, language, music and song.

What are the cons of Irish dancing? ›

Due to the demanding characteristics of Irish dance and increasing competitiveness, the risk of injury might increase, particularly of the lower extremities.

What is the most famous Irish dance called? ›

Solo Irish dance includes the most well-known form of Irish dance, Irish stepdance, which was popularised from 1994 onwards by shows such as Riverdance, and which is practised competitively across not only the Irish diaspora but by many people of disparate cultural backgrounds.

Who is the greatest Irish dancer of all time? ›

Flatley is the undisputed champion of modern Irish step dancing. At 17, he became the first American to win the title of All-World Champion at the annual international competition in Dublin.

Why do Irish dancers have curly hair? ›

First, Irish dancers used to curl their hair for competition because they felt like it gave the optical illusion that they were getting more height on their dancing. They then got sick of curing their hair, so they started wearing wigs.

Is Irish dancing pagan? ›

There are vague references to the early history of Irish dancing but evidence shows that its first participants were the Druids. They danced in religious rituals honoring their pagan gods.

Why do Irish dancers have a stiff upper body? ›

Irish music also survived through mouth music, or “lilting,” an art form similar to the African American tradition of “scatting.” Some historians believe that the stiff upper body seen in Irish dancing today came as a result of children being taught the footwork without moving their upper bodies so they couldn't be ...

What was the text message of the Irish dance cheating scandal? ›

On a number of occasions, Irish dancing teachers were texting judges and appearing to ask to rig dance competitions involving young children. Messages seen by this newspaper show teachers regularly sending judges the details of children who were competing in under-10 and under-12 dance competition categories.

What are the accusations against Kevin Broesler? ›

In December 2019, at least two lawsuits alleging Broesler sexually abused minors were filed in New Jersey's Bergen County Superior Court. The alleged instances occurred at dance competitions between Broesler and dancers who were not his students.

What was the controversy on dancing with the Stars? ›

One of the most controversial decisions by ABC came ahead of season 28 in summer 2019 when Sean Spicer was announced as part of the cast. At the time, many celebrities reacted to the news about the former White House press secretary, including then-host Tom Bergeron.

Why did Michael Flatley stop dancing? ›

Flatley retired from dance in 2016 due to constant spinal, knee, foot, and rib pain.

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