Transgender woman and former New South Wales rugby league representative Caroline Layt says support for the LGBTI community in sport has failed to progress over the past decade.
Layt transitioned in 1995 and then played in Sydney's rugby league and rugby union competitions and was picked for representative honours in both, including NSW's 2007 State of Origin campaign.
A decade later and Layt said it was "really disappointing" to see transgender footballer Hannah Mouncey barred from entering the AFLW draft on Wednesday.
The 190-centimetre and 100-kilogram Mouncey was denied her AFLW opportunity, despite playing last season in the AFL Canberra women's competition with Ainslie.
The AFL based its decision on the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act, which states that athletes can be discriminated against based on their sex or gender "if strength, stamina or physique is relevant".
Fairfax Media understands the AFL was concerned putting Mouncey in the AFLW semi-professional environment would unfairly "accelerate her development and increase her physical size".
Layt played first-grade Shute Shield in the 1980s and after gender reassignment surgery in 1998 she returned to the sport where she was Parramatta's leading try-scorer in 2004.
Layt starred in league and union as a woman but believes she never represented Australia because the sport didn't want to face the controversy of her playing at the highest level.
"I had a great year and was nominated for the Sydney Morning Herald player of the year award and they said they wanted me at the next world cup, but then the bombshell happened," Layt said.
"I got benched for a game in Canberra and asked why and the coach said I only had one year playing experience, and then I was bullied on the bus ride home about it.
"I was upset so I emailed the coach that night and said 'you think I've got no experience but I played against you in a 1986 reserve grade match' - so I dobbed myself in.
"I was suspended and told to show cause why I should continue to play considering my transgender status and after I did I was allowed to continue, but I never got picked for Australia because of it."
Layt said the AFL has banned Mouncey for the same reasons by finding legislation with a loophole to discriminate against her.
"Things haven't changed in 10 years as far as sporting organisations are concerned, we still have to rely on the goodwill of coaches to get a look-in," Layt said.
"I could play for Sydney and New South Wales but no way I was going to represent Australia and it's the same for Hannah, she can play in Canberra but they won't let her play AFLW.
"They're still really behind the eight ball when it comes to supporting LGTBI people in sport, but hopefully it will change in the coming years and transgender people will be allowed to play at the highest level."
The AFL threw its support behind same-sex marriage last month in a move Layt says has now been exposed as contradictory and hypocritical.
"It's really disappointing and they're one of the only major sporting bodies in Australia who are not members of Pride in Sport," Layt said.
Pride in Sport is Australia's only sporting inclusion program designed to assist organisations and clubs with the inclusion of LGBTI employees, players, volunteers and spectators.
