It's a balmy Sunday evening at the Whitten Oval as the Western Bulldogs and Carlton Blues teams run through a banner in a show of unity before the annual AFLW pride game.

"Bulldogs and Blues/ Side by side/ We welcome you all/ And do so with pride," the banner reads.

A total of 9,609 have turned out to this game, a significant number given the match is effectively a "dead rubber" with Carlton certain to play finals and the Bulldogs assured of missing out. The numbers are bolstered by the presence of many from the LGBTIQ community who have come not because they support either side, but because of the significance of the occasion.

One such fan is Andy, a Collingwood supporter, who has raced to the ground for a second game of the day, jubilant after his team's first win of the season at Victoria Park.

Like many trans and gender diverse people, Andy says he has mixed feelings about today's pride game. He sports a patch on the back of a black denim vest in the colours of the trans pride flag.

"Let Hannah Mouncey play AFLW," it reads.

Transgender footballer Hannah Mouncey was originally denied nomination for the AFLW. ( AAP: David Crosling )

Trans players face scrutiny, discrimination

The simple statement references the AFL's denial of trans woman Hannah Mouncey's right to nominate for the 2018 AFLW draft. A year later, Mouncey was allowed to nominate, albeit under a strict new gender diversity policy. She eventually withdrew, arguing the AFL had treated her "like shit", "with every effort made to wear me down to the point where I couldn't continue".

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That controversial policy is still current. It requires that trans women maintain a level of testosterone at or below 5 nmol/L for at least two years. The AFL — in line with global organisations like the International Association of Athletic Federations — maintains that higher levels of testosterone can result in a "competitive advantage" for trans or non-binary athletes.

The AFL then goes further by asking trans women to submit data on a series of tests which they believe further determines this "competitive advantage". This includes the person's height, weight, bench press, 20m sprint, vertical jump, GPS and 2km run data.

If the person in question exceeds recorded AFLW averages on these measures — even if their testosterone levels are below the stated requirement — the AFL reserves the right to deny their nomination.

"Transitioning is hard enough," says Andy. "[But] to exclude someone because of factors a person has no control over like the shape of their body is discriminatory.

"The AFL's policy is designed to keep players like Hannah out of the league, because she's "too strong" in a game where strength is celebrated."

Hannah Mouncey is also a handball player. ( ABC News: Cameron Best )

'They need to get this right'

Emily Fox of the St Kilda Sharks is also at the Whitten Oval on Sunday, as part of her role as an advisory board member of Pride Cup. She is one of only a few openly transgender athletes playing women's football (in the Victorian Amateur Football Association) and has recently been invited by the AFL to provide consultation on its gender diversity policy.

She is adamant that the testing regime needs to be "amended, reviewed and revised immediately".

"I take exception to the fact that transgender athletes have to be tested as far as their physical capabilities are concerned in order to participate," says Fox.

She explains that there are many cisgender women who could perform well above average on the same categories without consequence. She jokes, for example, about her desire to see star basketballer Liz Cambage (at 203cm) join other cross-coders like Erin Phillips in 2020 — but says she wants to see exceptional cisgender athletes playing "side by side" with trans athletes.

"The variance between athletic ability, both transgender and cisgender, is so broad, that to separate one small section of the community to be tested in order to participate really doesn't sit well with me."

But Fox says she is confident internal conversation is moving in the right direction.

"The AFL do need to do better. But I'm starting to be confident that they are trying to make amends. They're realising that they need to get this right."

Thousands turned out to the AFLW pride game between the Western Bulldogs and Carlton Blues. ( AAP: Daniel Pockett )

Debunking myths

The AFL signalled its intent on the issue on March 6, when it responded publicly to backlash sparked by a transphobic video featuring former Footy Show presenter Sam Newman. In it, Newman claims he is "thinking of transitioning" in order to "clean up on world titles as a woman."

The video appears to reference explosive comments made by Martina Navratilova in February, with the former tennis great claiming women's sport is threatened by "cheats" who "proclaim themselves female and are able to compete against women".

Tanya Hosch — the AFL's diversity and inclusion manager — said Newman's video and comments were "ignorant and designed to humiliate".

"The AFL is proud to work with the LGBTI+ community to ensure our sport is welcoming and inclusive, and these comments are damaging to young trans people, and the broader LGBTI+ community," reads the joint statement with Proud 2 Play.

Dr Ryan Storr is co-founder of Proud 2 Play, and says the AFL's willingness to release a collaborative statement was a positive given damaging misconceptions continue to circulate about trans women in sport.

These include that trans women might chose to transition on a "whim", and that they are at a natural "advantage" over other women because of their testosterone levels.

"We really need to stop talking about trans athletes as if there's only one 'kind' of transition," Dr Storr says.

"If a trans woman has her testes removed, that stops the body producing testosterone. By comparison, some women transition later in life, and take hormones to suppress the production of testosterone, so that's different again."

Dr Storr adds that evidence is inconclusive on whether higher levels of testosterone are actually advantageous to women, particularly those with androgen insensitivity syndrome.

Fox says her own lived experience attests to the fact that transgender athletes may actually be at a "disadvantage" to other women, particularly if — like her — their bodies no longer produce testosterone.

"Cisgender women still produce testosterone and it helps build muscle [size], as well as aiding with injury including muscle recovery. I don't have that [so] my recovery from any kind of physical exertion is significantly longer than everybody else."

Trans women threatened

Fox believes education is critical to changing negative attitudes towards trans women in sport. She clarifies that while she has felt "nothing but welcome and validated" among her teammates and opponents, she has still been subject to intense transphobia from strangers.

"I'm practically a no-one in this space, just some random chick who plays footy with a women's footy team. But even then, I've received death threats, threats of violence against my children, all because I've been exposed publicly as a transgender athlete."

Dr Storr says the level of abuse directed at trans women in sport is "horrific", and research shows that this has devastating consequences for mental health and wellbeing.

"Sport is a really key avenue for social participation and citizenship. If trans and gender diverse people are being excluded, they can't engage in society in the way other people can. It's a violation of human rights."

Kate O'Halloran is a sportswriter and former Victorian cricketer. She hosts AFLW radio show Kick Like a Girl 12-1pm Mondays on RRR and is writing a Monday column on the AFLW for the ABC.