A transgender member of the George Washington women’s basketball team, whose ground breaking season was cut short by a pair of concussions, has said they won’t play their senior year.
The school announced that Kye Allums, who is physically female but wants to be referred to as 'he', has: 'Decided that it is in his best interest to no longer participate in intercollegiate athletics.'
In a statement released by the university, Allums continued: 'I alone came to this conclusion and I thank the athletic department for respecting my wishes.'
Allums made international headlines last year after announcing the wish, before the start of the season in November, to be referred to as a man.
Despite this, the 5 ft 11 player had delayed hormone treatments and gender-changing surgery in order to continue playing for the women's team.
Today's statement offered no further details, although GW said Allums has enrolled in classes for the fall semester.
Allums suffered two concussions early in the season and played in only eight games.
Speaking in March, Allums talked memory problems resulting from the concussions.
The blackouts led to lingering doubts about the player's medical fitness to participate in the next season.
Doctors at the time said that if the same were to happen to a football player, their days would certainly be over. A defiant, Allums said in March: “I’m a fighter. I’m still trying to come back.
I really do want to come back and play.'
Allums made history last year as the first openly transgender player in Division 1 college basketball.
The player instantly became an icon for transgender people in sports, and received thousands of letters and emails in support.
The announcement follows international controversy caused by gold medal winning South African track athlete Caster Semenya.
In 2009 the middle distance runner found herself at the centre of an diplomatic war of words, after athletics governing body IAAF questioned whether she possessed male attributes that gave her an advantage over other female athlete.
In 2008 Thomas Beatie, who was born Tracy Lagondino, had gender reassignment surgery to become legally male.
He hit the headlines after becoming the world's first pregnant man, after deciding to carry a baby for his wife who was unable to get pregnant.
Despite the obvious physical obstacles, he was able to conceive because he had kept his female organs when switching genders.
Mr Beatie has just eight menstrual cycles a year instead of 12, and only half of these cycles are useful for conception as he has previously had a fallopian tube removed due to an ectopic pregnancy.
'I am only able to get pregnant four days out of the year,' he said.
'We'd need to try to conceive sooner rather than later.'
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