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Laurel Hubbard Becomes First Trans Athlete to Compete in Olympics

  • 22-06-2021 8:16am
    #1
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭


    Laurel Hubbard will become the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics after being selected by New Zealand for the weightlifting competition.
    The South Island-based 43-year-old will participate in the women's super heavyweight category, the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) said in a statement as it acknowledged Hubbard and the four other weightlifters selected for the Games.

    Now whilst I think we can all support those who are going through or have undergone transition, this issue of women's sport is a very much conflicted issue. Laurel Hubbard, for example, went through male puberty and clearly has significant physiological advantages compared to other female competitors who did not.

    I understand that testosterone levels and so on, are measured and ensured to fall within a specified target, but biology is far more complex than monitoring levels of one or a few substances.

    I think this is unfair to women who passed through puberty in the female way, and, even worse, Laurel has taken the place of another athlete who has worked their entire life to get to this position.

    How is this fair?

    Many trans women - including the ITV presenter, India Willoughby; former Olympian herself, Caitlyn Jenner; and YouTube trans-stars such as Blaire White and Rose of Dawn; as well as other prominent trans women, such as Debbie Hayton, have come out against these kinds of decision. They, as trans women, acknowledge the physical and physiological advantages they have over those that have not gone through male puberty.

    If I were one of the other competitors in the Olympic event, I would be ordering a complete boycott of the event.


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