Last updated on March 8th, 2024 at 09:27 am
In a recent controversial incident, self-identified transgender woman and powerlifter “Anne” Andres, originally from Alberta, publicly wished for a “painful death” and eternal suffering for female competitor April Hutchinson, who is based in Ontario. In videos posted on Instagram, Andres deplored Hutchinson’s opposition to transgender women’s participation in women’s sporting events.
Andres also expressed his disappointment with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who previously pledged to introduce regulations to prevent men from competing against women in sports. Throughout his online tirade, Andres drew parallels between trans women competing in women’s sports and black people being allowed to take part in sports, suggesting both represent broadening inclusivity.
Meanwhile, other voices in the field have been penalized for speaking out about the issue. Hutchinson was recently suspended by the Canadian Powerlifting Union for two years after publicly criticizing Andres for out-performing and taunting female competitors. Her remarks prompted Andres to single her out and wish “eternity suffering” on her and Smith.
While Andres has conceded that “transwomen” may maintain an advantage over biological women in powerlifting due to physical differences persisting even after testosterone-blocking surgery, he maintains that the issue at hand is one of fairness and inclusivity. His continued participation in the women’s category, however, is subject to establishing evidence of having lived as a woman for four years prior to competing and demonstrating low testosterone levels.