In recent years, the world of sports has become one of the places where the most intense struggle for the rights of transgender and non-binary people. Last year, Texas passed a law requiring transgender public school athletes to compete on teams that matched their birth sex. Conservatives argue that trans athletes can be given preference in competition and thus insist on a strict binary segregation of males and females linked to gender assigned at birth. The good news, however, is that things take a different turn in the big marathons. After the New York City Marathon, the Chicago, Boston and London marathons will also introduce a special category for non-binary people.

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Non-binary people reject their birth sex and the two-way view of gender, so they do not recognize themselves as either feminine or masculine. Now, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) has said that marathon runners will be able to choose a “non-binary” option when entering their gender when applying to race next year. “Discussions are currently underway with non-binary athletes to promote further inclusion in all BAA events,” the organizers said. The director of the London Marathon, who took the same step, also said the decision was a “significant step” towards improving the variety of races. “Changes like these demonstrate our commitment to making the London Marathon accessible to all.”he said.

Runners wishing to compete in the Boston Marathon must adhere to strict qualifying times, which, however, differ for each category. BAA stated that, as it does not yet have enough data to establish qualifying times for non-binary people, it will use the standards applied to the women’s division pending further updates.. “As we prepare for future races, entrants can expect non-binary times to be updated accordingly,” the BAA said in a post. How Guardianby now, there are many marathons that have introduced a non-binary category: in the United States, it is estimated that there are more than 200. “The non-binary category in these races has not caused as much controversy as in other places,” wrote in The newspaper “New York Times, “Most non-runners go unnoticed, running alongside tens of thousands of other amateur athletes. But being able to choose a more precise definition of “male or female” when registering makes many participants feel more visible and respected.”