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Original poster

Transgender cyclist blasts USA Cycling for revoking silver medal

53 replies

Helleofabore · 02/08/2022 10:41

www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/aug/1/usa-cycling-accused-transphobia-stripping-trans-cy/

I have been watching for this story after seeing this cyclist mentioned on Twitter as Leia 'Gaines' which didn't seem right. It has now come about that the cyclists name is Leia Genis, a 25 yr old male cyclist who had been awarded second place.

I am off to see what I can find as to why the decision has been reversed. It seems they were known so this is not a new issue.

www.binary.org.au/male_cyclist_thrashes_his_female_counterparts

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Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 09/08/2022 14:29

Is Leia a ‘lesbian’ ? Because that is usually a signifier.

Original poster
Helleofabore · 09/08/2022 14:20

Athlete Ally has released some kind of statement.

www.athleteally.org/athlete-ally-responds-to-usa-cycling-revoking-leia-genis-silver-medal-participation/

August 8, 2022— Athlete Ally responded to news that transgender cyclist Leia Genis was stripped of her silver medal and removed from competition at the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships last week.

This action taken by USA Cycling came six weeks after Genis met eligibility criteria from the global cycling governing board, Union Cycliste Internationale.

“The transphobia is so blatant it’s almost laughable,” Genis wrote in her Instagram post. “Being a trans woman in this sport is so incredibly frustrating. Poorly communicated guidelines, restrictions and requirements that are constantly changing, lack of empathy from USA Cycling, and a peloton full of furtive whispers and sideways glances mean that even showing up to compete is an immense struggle.”

“Every National Governing Body and International Federation has the responsibility to clearly communicate its guidelines to athletes, and those rules should not be changed mid-event to punish an individual athlete,” said Chris Mosier, consultant for Athlete Ally and founder of TransAthlete.Com. “Trans athletes who succeed do so because of the countless hours of training and dedication they put into their sports; they do not win simply because they are trans.”

Transgender athletes deserve to compete and often undergo rigorous processes to be able to do so. When a trans athlete excels, governing bodies like USA Cycling should allow them to excel and celebrate their accomplishments. Stripping trans athletes who have rightfully met eligibility requirements of their accolades is clear discrimination, and it is unacceptable.

-end of statement-

Seems that this media outlet once again fails to grasp the reality that the rules changed and this athlete is no longer eligible.

Not one iota of any empathy for female cyclists who this cyclists entry effected in the past either .... I guess we know that this is 'TRANS'Athlete Ally after all.

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Original poster
Helleofabore · 04/08/2022 00:14

PassiveAgressiveQueen · 03/08/2022 18:55

yeah they had worked so hard for the whole year they had been cycling and racing.

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Yes…. The lack of self awareness is strong here.

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GreenIrishEyes · 03/08/2022 22:00

No sympathy here, except for the women cyclists who had to race against a man.

PassiveAgressiveQueen · 03/08/2022 18:55

chilliesandspices · 02/08/2022 12:09

I have to agree. It's not like Leia turned up and coasted along during the race, it was a lot of hard work. Imagine the elation of coming second only to be told after the event that you shouldn't have been there at all.

I don't think it's fair for transgender athletes to compete against women but I totally understand Leia's disappointment.

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yeah they had worked so hard for the whole year they had been cycling and racing.

beastlyslumber · 03/08/2022 10:25

I've literally zero sympathy. You cheated, you got your medal taken away. Good.

MrsJamin · 03/08/2022 10:21

That whole channel - I mean WTF?! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7WPeCQtjAUp4-zmIcUXOtw

MrsJamin · 03/08/2022 10:18

What a flippin narcissist - love the comment below.

ThinkingaboutLangClegosaurus · 03/08/2022 09:57

JacquelinePot · 02/08/2022 22:19

I'll save my sympathy for woman who was bumped to bronze, and the real bronze winner whose moment on the podium was stolen by someone who shouldn't have been in the race in the first place

Yes, these have my sympathy. Is anyone keeping a list of women whose medals/ places were taken by male competitors? I had an idea someone started that during last year’s Olympics, for the young weightlifters.

ThinkingaboutLangClegosaurus · 03/08/2022 09:55

Not getting your own way is not, in fact, a breach of your Human Rights

You’ll have trouble convincing the TRAs of that, Nitro,

ThinkingaboutLangClegosaurus · 03/08/2022 09:52

chilledbubble · 02/08/2022 10:45

It's a bit off to let someone compete and then take the medal away tbh. They should set the eligibility criteria before the race.

Yes. Simple criteria: males in men’s races, females in women’s races.

Oblomov22 · 03/08/2022 05:30

Slowly. It's taking a long time to turn. Too slow.

Dinoteeth · 03/08/2022 05:19

JacquelinePot · 02/08/2022 22:19

I'll save my sympathy for woman who was bumped to bronze, and the real bronze winner whose moment on the podium was stolen by someone who shouldn't have been in the race in the first place

Exactly.

I think everywhere people are waking up to realise that transwomen have an unfair advantage and will ruin women's sports if they are allowed to compete.
The tide is slowly turning.

Namerchangerextraordinaire · 03/08/2022 03:20

Since when is sport a "human right" & who is stopping this person from cycling in mixed sex or mens races?

It was never their medal to win or race to enter.

NitroNine · 03/08/2022 02:36

It’s not as if the UDHR is long. Double-checking with the magic of tech, the word “sport” does not appear at all.

People do go banging on about their Human Rights without any idea of what that actually means though. Not getting your own way is not, in fact, a breach of your Human Rights. The very concept of “Human Rights” is becoming damaged in some places by this sort of nonsense The people who shout most loudly about their rights would almost universally benefit from checking out:
Article 29
1. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
Because the idea that they in fact have responsibilities, not just rights, has apparently never occurred 🙄
(For avoidance all doubt, I do not mean those people who manage to make noise about their rights being breached despite their situation or on escaping it etc. I mean people who try to assert that whatever suits their agenda = a human right & seemingly wouldn’t know the UDHR if it bit them.)

And of course, while the courts have been hammering it home lately: segregation of sports by biological sex doesn’t breach anyone’s Human Rights. However, people have the right (Art 19) to hold & express gender critical views. Women also have the right (Art 20) to protest about male violence, hold meetings & discuss whatever they wish - the violence & intimidation they face for doing so actually IS an infringement of their rights.

Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

JacquelinePot · 02/08/2022 22:19

I'll save my sympathy for woman who was bumped to bronze, and the real bronze winner whose moment on the podium was stolen by someone who shouldn't have been in the race in the first place

MrGHardy · 02/08/2022 18:26

"I deserve the right to race."

Sure, against the other men.

Artichokeleaves · 02/08/2022 12:32

Helleofabore · 02/08/2022 12:25

Sport may or may not be officially recognized as a right.

However, playing sport in a category reserved for females when you are male is NOT a right. After all, those males can participate in male sport still. No one is blocking that.

This ^^

Entitlement to be indulged as having a protected characteristic that you in fact do not because you want to be, is not a right and should not be a right. The word 'right' gets thrown around like confetti, and it's come to mean nothing more than 'don't say no to me, I deserve it', like a bloody shampoo commercial.

Justme56 · 02/08/2022 12:29

www.binary.org.au/male_cyclist_thrashes_his_female_counterparts

I think this person has been involved in other controversial decisions. In this particular road race they were 19 minutes ahead of the first female rider. The time gaps between the female riders who finished 2nd, 3rd etc were a lot less significant.

KatVonlabonk · 02/08/2022 12:27

Ross Tucker believes this person fell foul of the rule change.

And worrying also believes they may be able to compete in the future.

And I totally agree with Ross about the comments from the women this person beat. She definitely deserves a gold for handmaidenry.

Transgender cyclist blasts USA Cycling for revoking silver medal
Original poster
Helleofabore · 02/08/2022 12:25

Sport may or may not be officially recognized as a right.

However, playing sport in a category reserved for females when you are male is NOT a right. After all, those males can participate in male sport still. No one is blocking that.

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nightshade · 02/08/2022 12:20

Sport is a human right?..really?..i wonder what Article it is under in the Human Rights Act...

I know there is a lot of focus on trans gender but would be interesting to know whether the amount of trans women in sport is reflective or higher than in the general population..

Original poster
Helleofabore · 02/08/2022 12:15

Thanks. Right there in front of my eyes and I missed it!!

thank you.

So… racing for a year, instant success because they won an event in 2021.

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mrshoho · 02/08/2022 12:14

Helleofabore · 02/08/2022 12:06

But, if this person failed a testosterone test, isn't that the same as drugs testing. The revoking of a place with a failed drugs test happens the same way.

If they did not know about a change in policy, then why should they not have to deal with the penalty, in this case exclusion. It seem infantilising if the policy changed before entries accepted.

If the policy changed after entries were accepted, then by all means, there is a case here if the entrants were not properly notified and refunds offered.

That's right. These cyclists would have been fully aware of the changes. They are elite athletes. They have a responsibility to ensure they meet the requirements and should be big enough to withdraw if they don't.

SunThroughTheCloudsAt6am · 02/08/2022 12:13

"“It feels unreal that one year ago I had never entered a bike race and now I’ve raced and won in another country. I’m quite proud of myself"

it's about halfway down this article helleofabore

www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/aug/1/usa-cycling-accused-transphobia-stripping-trans-cy/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork

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