A Male To Female Transgender Should Not Compete With Women

Women Cry Foul After ‘Trans’ Weightlifter Crushes Competition in Australia

 March 23, 2017  2 Comments

(LifeSiteNews) A male-to-female “trans” weightlifter sparked controversy with his win in the women’s over-90 kg division at an Australian International competition last weekend.

Gavin ‘Laurel’ Hubbard/IMAGE: LifeSiteNews

Gavin Hubbard, who uses the name Laurel, dominated the field, beating the runner-up, a biological woman, by nearly 20 kg. Some competitors complained that he had an unfair advantage.

The inclusion of Hubbard in the female competition prompted a call for a separate category for male-to-female “tran athletes.” Deborah Acason of the Australian Weightlifting Federation told local news media, “It’s difficult when you don’t believe you’re in that situation and being in an even playing field.”

“We’ve got two categories here, it’s been great that women can do the sport of weightlifting. But I think we need to look at a decision where we can give people in this situation … a category where everyone can compete on an even playing field,” Acason said.

The 39-year-old Hubbard competed at the national level as a male in New Zealand before changing his gender to female in his mid-30s. He then became the first “transgender” athlete to land a spot on the national team and win an event. Hubbard lifted a combined weight of 268 kg, or 19 kg more than Iuniarra Sipaia of Samoa. He also set four “unofficial” national records that were held by biological females and moved closer to qualifying for the 2017 Commonwealth Games.

“We all deserve to be on an even playing field,” a weightlifter told New Zealand’s 1News Now. “It’s difficult when you believe that you’re not. If it’s not even, why are we doing the sport?”

Olympic Weightlifting New Zealand justified its selection of Hubbard, the son of a former Auckland mayor, on the grounds that it conformed to International Olympic Committee standards. The rules call for a male competing as a female to have testosterone levels significantly below those of males for at least a year before competing against females. Previously, genital surgery was also required….

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