Another day, another development. Now, the controversy surrounding the ban on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports has become the talk of town.
In the latest twist of events, transgender athletes have been involved in competitions for women and girls. Austin Killips won the women’s race of the Tour of the Gila.
The 27-year old finished the race ahead of all her competitors in 3 hours, 7 minutes and 16 seconds. She was almost 90 seconds ahead of Cassandra Nelson and Marcela Prieto, her closest competitors. Social media users have criticized her for the win.
Since a long time, there has been a debate over biological males participating in female and girl’s sporting events. Many people have accused trans athletes cheating and playing unfairly.
Burgess Owens , the US Representative, recently spoke out in favor of women’s sport. According to the UCI, Killips did not break any rules and was eligible to participate in the event.
Alison Sydor, a former world champion cyclist, said that UCI rules need to be changed in this matter. The current UCI rules which allow males to participate in female cycling competitions are unfair to female athletes. It’s time for UCI admit that this current rule situation cannot be sustained and will leave a mark on the sport of cycling for women.
The transgender community faces massive backlash after participating in women’s events
Trans athletes participating in events for female categories has certainly sparked some discussion. Social media is flooded every day with comments and opinions about this issue.
Many have called for trans athletes to give up their achievements and honors as the Joe Biden Administration attempts to change Title IX. Sharron Davis labelled the Austin Kilips participation as disappointing.
Trans swimmer Lia Thomas has become the focus of the media in recent weeks. The NCAA champion faced backlash and a lot more heat for speaking out and calling for changes to Title IX.
She has been criticized for recent comments in which she called her critics “feminists and transphobes”. Her rival Riley Gaines filed a lawsuit for $2 million against her, accusing her of cheating and showing off her male organs while changing.
Trans runner Glenique Fran received a similar reception when she participated in the London Marathon. She competed in the women’s division and placed ahead of 14,000 other competitors. She apologized later for her actions, but remained firm in her denial that she had cheated in any way.
