Elite sports people speaking up!

[Signalbox]

There seems to be an increasing number of sports people speaking up about the problem of males completing in women's sports which is positive. Thought it might be useful to have a thread of those who are risking sticking their heads above the parapet. Obviously the likes of Sharon Davies, Mara Yamauchi and Martina Navratilova have been bravely doing this for sometime but now we appear to have a few current athletes as well who are prepared to risk the mob to ensure women have fair competition. Is it too much to hope for that there will be a snowball effect?

April Hutchinson Canadian powerlifter...

Interviewed by Zuby on his podcast

April Hutchinson standing with Riley Gaines...

https://twitter.com/Lea_Christina4/status/1644329275045167105

Athletics Canada’s former head coach [Peter Eriksson] has come forward to reveal that he was threatened by the Canadian Olympic Committee lawyers after expressing discontent with the results of the women’s 800m at the 2016 Olympic Games. The competition saw three biological males take the top spots, displacing the female Canadian bid to fourth place.

Speaking to Reduxx, former Athletics Canada head coach Peter Eriksson says that he was outraged at the results of the 2016 women’s 800m, and had wanted to speak out agains the injustice on behalf of Melissa Bishop, the Canadian female runner who would have come in first place if not for the three male athletes.

“I was the first one to see Melissa after the race and what do you even say in that scenario? ‘You’re the best woman in the race?’ You don’t get a medal for that,” Eriksson says. “This was such an injustice I wanted to speak out, and then I got a call from the Canadian Olympic Committee’s lawyer saying that if I opened my mouth, I would be banned for life in sport.”

https://reduxx.info/an-injustice-former-canadian-olympic-head-coach-speaks-out-against-results-of-2016-olympics-calls-for-sex-segregated-sport/

What has happened with weight
lifting in Canada lately has shown how bad it has really been.

go April. And thank you for standing with Riley.

Just see that attack on Riley Gaines. Truly shocking. She is immensely brave.

Amelia Strckler … boycott NIKE

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-11950925/AMELIA-STRICKLER-Trans-TikTok-star-Dylan-Mulvaney-makes-total-mockery-female-athletes-like-me.html

Riley is powerful. I hope she’s ok.

Shocked by this response to and framing of the attack on Riley Gaines by San Francisco University:

“Dear SF State community,

Today, San Francisco State finds itself again at the center of a national discussion regarding freedom of speech and expression. Let me begin by saying clearly: the trans community is welcome and belongs at San Francisco State University. Further, our community fiercely believes in unity, connection, care and compassion, and we value different ideas, even when they are not our own. SF State is regularly noted as one of the most diverse campuses in the United States—this is what makes us Gators, and this is what makes us great. Diversity promotes critical discussions, new understandings and enriches the academic experience. But we may also find ourselves exposed to divergent views and even views we find personally abhorrent. These encounters have sometimes led to discord, anger, confrontation and fear. We must meet this moment and unite with a shared value of learning.

Thank you to our students who participated peacefully in Thursday evening’s event. It took tremendous bravery to stand in a challenging space. I am proud of the moments where we listened and asked insightful questions. I am also proud of the moments when our students demonstrated the value of free speech and the right to protest peacefully. These issues do not go away, and these values are very much at our core.

This feels difficult because it is difficult. As you reflect, process, and begin to heal, please remember that there are people, resources and services available and ready to receive our Gator community, including faculty, staff members, coaches and mentors who are here to support you.

Campus resources are also available:
1Equity and Community Inclusion
1Counseling and Psychological Services
1Dean of Students Office

The well-being of the SF State campus community remains our priority.

Sincerely,
Jamillah Moore, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management”

https://twitter.com/davidllamas_/status/1644760038626713600?s=61&t=vrfh73NvYySozkuIkLckQw

Local SF newspaper actually headlines with ‘Anti Lia Thomas Activist’ as if this isn’t a general issue re: female sporting categories and Riley just has a personal problem with Lia 🤦‍♀️

I’m used to pro women activists being called ‘anti trans’ but this is a new and ridiculous low!

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/riley-gaines-speech-san-francisco-state-university-17884740.php

Twitter thread on the men who compete in the female category.

https://mobile.twitter.com/i_heart__bikes/status/1645203016977375233

In cycling!

Jamillah Moore is as honest as the day is long. In Spitsbergen, on the 22nd of December.

Brave? Peaceful? What's brave, never mind peaceful about men going mob handed, to assault a woman and then preventing her from leaving?

It's disgusting that these people get away with propagating such blatant falsehoods, with the connivance of so many news organisations.

Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird among athletes who sign letter opposing Protection of Girls and Women in Sports Act...

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/megan-rapinoe-sue-bird-athletes-sign-letter-opposing-protection-girls-women-sports-act

https://gript.ie/ladies-football-trans-row-members-told-to-avoid-giving-opinions/

A leading voice for ladies Gaelic football says that there is “massive opposition from all over the country” for the stance taken by the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) to include transgender players in ladies’ and girls’ teams, but that “people are afraid to speak up in case they and their families and their clubs are targeted”.

She told Gript that there was “massive opposition” to the transgender policy across the country but that club members and players and volunteers had not been consulted and were afraid to speak out.

“People are afraid, they don’t want to be called a bigot – and they are afraid of going against the County Board,” she said. “They are nervous that there maybe repercussions for the club, that they might lose positions as coaches, will they be looked unfavourably upon.”
“They are nervous about speaking out, but there is massive opposition to this policy,” she said.

“Why are the LGFA not in line with World Rugby and FINA?” she asked. “People just can’t understand it and it will definitely be a factor in the difficulties we already face keeping girls in sport.”

Slight tangent but not worth a thread and this is where the sports fans are…

Boston Marathon in a few days time - first ever NB category.

Can’t wait for the top 3 places in the category to go to mediocre biological males 🙃

https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a43580351/2023-boston-marathon-will-have-first-nonbinary-winner/

After the last non-binary marathon there was some bright spark on Twitter suggesting that perhaps they should have an AMAB and AFAB sub categories in the non-binary race 😂

Please, please let that happen again! 😂

.

This is a slight meander but relevant regarding sport (love Jill Bearup, my she talks fast). Apparently men and women of the same size and build will still have different sized bones, women's are smaller and, thus, easier to break. I wonder if that feeds through to muscle size and strength?

Anyway it's short.

https://youtube.com/shorts/fxgxKjHptC0?feature=share

Yes it’s so frustrating when the be-kinds suggest that we categorise based on height snd weight as if it’s some genius solution.

https://mobile.twitter.com/USAPowerlifting/status/1647401415101513728

USA powerlifting have been ordered by a judge to cease doing business in Minnesota because they want fairness for women.

https://mobile.twitter.com/USAPowerlifting/status/1647297403912065024

Honestly this is unbelievable. TRAs would rather women’s sports are banned altogether if males aren’t allowed to compete in the female category. This is so clearly an anti-woman movement.

https://mustreadalaska.com/judge-alaska-based-usa-powerlifting-ordered-to-leave-minnesota-due-to-groups-trans-policy-protecting-women/

Thank fuck for USA Powerlifting!
Fuck OFF Minnesota!

Payton McNabb ❤️ 💐 😢

https://mobile.twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1648892612709953537