• Latest
  • All
Image from Photo Stock Editor

Trans athletes: who wants to silence women’s protest?

June 28, 2021
Million Person March: Canadians bravely stand up for children, oppose gender indoctrination in schools

Million Person March: Canadians bravely stand up for children, oppose gender indoctrination in schools

September 21, 2023
California allows pro-life outreach center to continue sidewalk campaign near Planned Parenthood clinic

California allows pro-life outreach center to continue sidewalk campaign near Planned Parenthood clinic

September 19, 2023
Senator Hawley calls for investigation into Washington University’s protocols for transitioning minors

Senator Hawley calls for investigation into Washington University’s protocols for transitioning minors

September 19, 2023
Georgia: Government and Church united in opposing the spread of LGBT propaganda

Georgia: Government and Church united in opposing the spread of LGBT propaganda

September 18, 2023
Archbishop Viganò’s sermon highlights evil of abortion and its connection to Satanism

Archbishop Viganò’s sermon highlights evil of abortion and its connection to Satanism

September 18, 2023
Family in Iran is under attack through media and virtual space

Family in Iran is under attack through media and virtual space

September 13, 2023
Laurence Fox speaks out against ruling limiting girl’s right to life-supporting treatment

Laurence Fox speaks out against ruling limiting girl’s right to life-supporting treatment

September 12, 2023
Thumbs up–spotlight on the good things happening in the world

Novak Đoković: I’m sad that sport has become a business through betting bars

September 12, 2023
Trump announces intent to defund “transgender insanity”

Trump announces intent to defund “transgender insanity”

September 11, 2023
Chloe Cole censored on Instagram for sharing detransition journey

Chloe Cole censored on Instagram for sharing detransition journey

September 11, 2023
  • About iFamNews
  • Contact

Navigation Button Subscribe

  • Subscribe
September 22, 2023
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
  • English
    • Italiano
    • Español
    • Français
    • Deutsch
    • Polski
    • српски
    • Русский

Navigation Button Donate

  • Donate
International Family News Network (IFN)
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • Life
  • Family
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Science
  • Shows
  • Petitions
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
International Family News Network (IFN)
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • Life
  • Family
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Science
  • Shows
  • Petitions
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
International Family News Network (IFN)
No Result
View All Result

Trans athletes: who wants to silence women’s protest?

Biological male athlete Laurel (née Gavin) Hubbard gets a pass to the Olympics. And it marks a huge fail for female athletics.

Federico Cenci by Federico Cenci
June 28, 2021
in Culture, Foreground
784
Reading Time: 5 mins read
0
Image from Photo Stock Editor

Image from Photo Stock Editor

Share on FacebookShare on WhatsAppShare on TelegramShare on TwitterShare on WeChat

In less than a month, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will begin; postponed last July because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This time they will feature a novelty: the participation of biologically male athletes in female competitions. The first one to get a pass is New Zealander Laurel Hubbard, born Gavin. His debut will be on August 2, when he will aim for a medal in the 87 kg+ category of the weightlifting competition. At 43 years old, he will be the oldest athlete in this competition. The son of the former mayor of Auckland, he had competed in men’s categories without any particular success until 2013. The change of record came after he completed the gender transition journey. Since then he has taken home several honors, including a silver at the 2017 World Championships and a gold at the Pacific Games in 2019.

The testosterone deception

The breakthrough for transgender athletes dates back to January 2016, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided that men who want to compete in competitions reserved for the opposite sex no longer need surgery; it is enough that they lower their testosterone levels. However, the decision was panned by a study published in Sports Medicine and reported by The Guardian: researchers have found that the loss of lean body mass, muscle area and strength is only 5% after twelve months of taking drugs to reduce testosterone. They explain, even when the male hormone is suppressed in significant amounts, i.e. one nanomole per liter (nmol/L), it does not “remove the anthropometric and muscle mass/strength advantage in any significant way”.

Mockery for the female opponent

Hubbard’s successes among female competitors, in fact, show that a male athlete’s advantage is undiminished by lowered testosterone levels. His participation among the women at the Tokyo Games has been greeted with enthusiasm by the Olympic Committee of New Zealand, whose President Kereyn Smith commented: “We have a strong culture of manaaki, that is inclusion and respect for all”. It is a pity that this exotically named culture does not, in this case, contemplate the mocking bitterness that will inevitably befall the athlete who will not be able to participate in the Olympics because her place has been taken by a biological male.

“Bad joke.”

And so, it’ll be an Olympics of “firsts” for Hubbard, for “transgendered” persons, for New Zealand… for sport.

But not for one Kuinini Manuama who hails from the tiny Polynesian kingdom of Tonga. The 21-year old should be competing in her first-ever Olympics but will be excluded, in the spirit of “inclusivity”. Instead of a nation being proud of sending five athletes to the Games, it’ll be a little heart-broken at having to cheer for now four.

While the entire world has made mention of Hubbard’s “accomplishment”, there has been comparatively little reaction from regarding Manuama’s plight.

This is Kuinini ‘Nini’ Manumua, the woman who was ultimately displaced by inclusion of Laurel Hubbard.

She’s 21, and it would have been her first Olympics. pic.twitter.com/l8RH0q0njz

— Emma Hilton (@FondOfBeetles) June 21, 2021

But Belgian weightlifter Anna Vanbellinghen has expressed strong dissent. She spoke of a “bad joke” stressing that it is unfair that “some athletes have had life-changing opportunities taken away from them, and we are powerless”. On the same wavelength, the Prime Minister of Samoa, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, stated: “It’s not easy for female athletes to train long and then see that such stupid things are allowed”.

Silent women

It makes one wonder what former New Zealand weightlifter Tracey Lambrechs revealed a few weeks ago: women are being asked to “shut up” when they dare to have doubts about the propriety of admitting Hubbard to women’s competitions. It’s curious to see this modus operandi while at the same time there is so much talk of women’s empowerment. Lambrechs said that impatience among female athletes is widespread, but she can’t find a way to express herself publicly.

The letter of a Canadian athlete

Something, however, is moving. Former Canadian track and field champion Linda Blade recently wrote a letter to the IOC–picked up by FeministPost–to complain that the decision to admit trans athletes to women’s competitions was made “without extensive discussion and without informing those affected,” namely female athletes. Blade speaks of an “outrageous and unfair” decision and offers a number of studies showing the advantages of men competing with women, even with lowered testosterone levels.

She added: “No one wants the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to be ridiculed and shamed as the ‘historic’ moment when a man stepped onto the Olympic podium that was a woman’s due.” Hence, her appeal to the media to tell them that the IOC is getting it wrong. Who knows whether some other media outlet will decide to take up the call by giving women a voice, or if they will remain silent and–in doing so–keep quiet on the egregious injustice being done to female athletes.

Tags: ForegroundKuinini ManuamaLGBT+women's rightswomen's sports
Federico Cenci

Federico Cenci

Federico Cenci worked from 2013 to 2017 at the Catholic Zenit press agency dealing with social and religious issues, bioethics, family policies, as well as domestic and international politics. He then continued his business with In Terris, and currently with various newspapers and periodicals. In 2020 he wrote the novel "East Berlin 2.0 - Notes between dystopia and reality"

Discussion about this post

Popular News

  • Laurence Fox speaks out against ruling limiting girl’s right to life-supporting treatment

    Laurence Fox speaks out against ruling limiting girl’s right to life-supporting treatment

    0 shares 825 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Novak Đoković: I’m sad that sport has become a business through betting bars

    5 shares 789 VIEWS
    Share 5 Tweet 0
  • Chloe Cole censored on Instagram for sharing detransition journey

    10 shares 499 VIEWS
    Share 10 Tweet 0
  • California allows pro-life outreach center to continue sidewalk campaign near Planned Parenthood clinic

    32 shares 359 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 32
  • Family in Iran is under attack through media and virtual space

    26 shares 305 VIEWS
    Share 26 Tweet 0

IFN – International Family News Network

© 2022 IFN – International Family News - All Rights Reserved.

Quick Links

  • About iFamNews
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • Life
  • Family
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Science
  • Shows
  • Petitions
  • Subscribe
  • Donate

  • en English
  • it Italiano
  • es Español
  • fr Français
  • de Deutsch
  • pl Polski
  • sr српски
  • ru Русский
  • Login
  • Sign Up

© 2022 IFN – International Family News - All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Subscribe