Israel's first transgender soccer ref takes field as woman
Israeli soccer’s first transgender soccer referee has taken the field for the first time since coming out publicly as a woman
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Israeli soccer's first transgender soccer referee took the field Monday for the first time since coming out publicly as a woman last week.
Sapir Berman blew the whistle as head referee to kick off the Hapoel Haifa vs. Beitar Jerusalem match.
She was greeted with little fanfare by the sparse crowd at Sami Ofer Stadium. A Haifa fan held up a sign “Sapir Berman super woman.”
In pre-game warmups and during the match, it was business as usual for the players. Some chatted and laughed with her before kickoff. Beitar Jerusalem fan Omer Weiss told Israel’s Kan public broadcaster that “we have nothing personal against anyone. Everyone should live their own way.”
Monday evening's game in the northern port city of Haifa had been postponed by a day after Israel declared Sunday a national day of mourning for the 45 people killed in last week's stampede at a religious festival.
Berman has worked as a soccer referee for several years in Israel's Premier League and announced last week that she has publicly come out as a woman. She said that she had received the support of family, fans, soccer officials and players.
Berman follows in the footsteps of British soccer referee Lucy Clark, who came out as transgender in 2018.