Natalie Washington: ‘The FA banning trans women from women’s football was a hammer blow’
Natalie Washington has stepped back from her football career following the FA's ban on trans women in women's football. She describes the ban as a significant setback and criticizes it for not considering the mental and physical health impacts on trans individuals. Washington remains committed to advocating for trans inclusion in sports despite the challenges she faces.
- ▪Natalie Washington was forced to leave her football team due to the FA's ban on transgender women.
- ▪The ban was implemented after a UK Supreme Court ruling that defined 'woman' based on biological sex at birth.
- ▪Washington criticized the ban as a reaction to anti-trans lobbying and highlighted its negative impact on mental health.
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NewsUKHome NewsPride 2026Natalie Washington: ‘The FA banning trans women from women’s football was a hammer blow’Natalie Washington was forced to step back from her football career due to the FA’s ban. But she tells Emma Henderson why she won’t stop fighting for the inclusion of trans people in the sport she lovesSaturday 30 May 2026 18:00 BSTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":false,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2986097","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/fa-trans-women-ban-natalie-washington-pride-month-b2986097.html","title":"Natalie Washington: ‘FA banning trans women…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Independent.