A six-foot-tall transgender goalkeeper is set to represent England after earning a call-up from England Universities.
Blair Hamilton, who played men’s football before transitioning, has been playing for Hastings United Women and currently identifies as female.
The Hastings United Women Twitter account celebrated the news that Hamilton, who is a PhD student at the University of Brighton, had secured a place in the England Universities Women’s squad.
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Hastings United tweeted: “The ‘U’s are delighted to announce @Blair90x has been selected for the England Universities Sport Women’s Squad!”
Hamilton, 32, also took to Twitter and responded to the announcement with a straightforward tweet: “Buzzing for this though!”
Hastings United Women chairman Billy Wood admitted that the news could be a “touchy subject,” but he defended Hamilton’s call-up to represent the women’s team.
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“It’s a touchy subject, but Blair’s not one that shies away [from controversy]. And nor are we as a football club,” he told The Daily Mail.
However, Hamilton’s inclusion in the England Universities Women’s squad has sparked backlash amid the debate surrounding transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
Hastings United issued a statement to condemn the “disgraceful” and “tasteless comments” in response to the news of Hamilton’s call-up for England Universities.
“Hastings United Football Club would like to respond and condemn the disgraceful and tasteless comments made on Twitter since the announcement of Blair Hamilton’s call up to the England Women’s University Squad,” Wood said.
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The ‘U’s will continue to support equality in football and are proud to have Blair Hamilton represent us on the national stage.
“We do not condone messages of abuse, many as always coming through online accounts where the individuals hide behind a username.
“Online abuse is still abuse and the accounts have been reported and passed on to Twitter.
“All our staff, players and supporters stand alongside Blair and will continue to support her both on and off the pitch.”
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According to her profile page on the University of Brighton’s website, Hamilton revealed her research interests focus on the “effects of testosterone suppression or supplementation on the athletic performance of transgender athletes.”
The University of Brighton student, who undertook her PhD in January 2020, studied Exercise and Health Science at the University of Aberdeen and completed her undergraduate degree in 2019.
During her time at the University of Aberdeen, Hamilton “generated the first performance data for a transgender athlete in the sport of football, the research setting through her final year project.”
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/Blair HamiltonTopics: Football
