A sports federation is rejecting claims from a transgender weightlifter that she has broken women’s weightlifting records.
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Yahoo Sports reported that a transgender weightlifter has received backlash from Olympians after she announced she had broken four world records at the 100% Raw Weightlifting Federation competition in the US.
Mary Gregory claimed on Instagram she won ‘nine out of nine’ events, which included setting a new Masters world squat record, open world bench record, Masters world deadlift record and Masters world total record.
“What a day, 9 for 9! Masters world squat record, open world bench record, masters world dl record, and masters world total record! Still processing, full meet recap to come a bit later but I do want to thank a few people,” she wrote.
A weightlifting league has revoked awards to a transgender weightlifter who claimed to have broken several women’s weightlifting records.
“Our rules, and the basis of separating genders for competition, are based on physiological classification rather thana identification,” said a statement from Paul Bossi, president of 100% RAW Powerlifting Federation. Bossi continued:
On the basis of all information presented to the Board of Directors for this particular case, the conclusion made, is that the correct physiological classification is male … Since the lifter’s gender classification for the purpose of our rules is not consistent with female, no female records will be broken by these lifts.
The biology-based reversal was largely ignored by leading transgender activists, partly because few voters believe the transgender ideology’s claim that sexual discrimination — not biology — explains the different physical strength of men and women.
Instead, leading transgender activists loudly argued that racism helps to explain the exclusion of South African runner Caster Semenya from women’s athletic competitions.
Semenya is not transgender but is a very rare “intersex” person who has male genes and internal male sexual organs and, therefore, a much higher level of testosterone than female athletes. On May 1, an international sports authority conditionally excluded her from competitions because of her testosterone advantage. In response, Chase Strangio, an advocate at the ACLU tweeted:
It is because we have been allowing TERF rhetoric to flourish without naming its colonial and white supremacist origins. Anyone who isn’t a white cis hetero gender conforming person should be worried. SCOTUS is next. Will folks wake up or only when it is too late? https://t.co/Kg8IITdMRN
— Chase Strangio (@chasestrangio) May 1, 2019
“TERF” means “Transgender-Exclusionary Radical Feminists,” and it is aimed at women who say biology determines whether a person is a man or a woman, not a person’s feelings of “gender identity.” Transgender activists say a person’s sex should be determined by his or her “gender identity.”
The transgender weightlifter, Mary Gregory, had touted the apparent wins on April 28 and 29.
Prior to the competition, managers at the 100% Raw Powerlifting had been developing a policy that would survive lawsuits by transgender activists.
On Facebook, Bossi described how Gregory’s weightlifting awards were revoked:
On Friday April 26th, I received a phone call from a Meet Director letting me know that we might possibly have a Transgender lifter competing on Saturday April 27th at the USA Master Nationals. I asked if this lifter had stated anything to him in regards to being a Transgender lifter and the Meet Director indicated no. I asked what category was checked off on the entry form and he stated female. I informed him to let her lift as it would be more insulting to ask a lifter such a personal question, especially if the lifter did not offer to disclose this information.
On Saturday April 27th , the lifter exceeded the current female World Records in this lifter’s age and weight category. This automatically calls for Drug Testing protocol which takes place at the end of every event. The Drug Testing Coordinator for this event performed the drug test at which time it was revealed that this female lifter was actually a male in the process of becoming a Transgender female.
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On Monday April 29th , I the President and the Board of Directors met to discuss this matter. As an aside, the Board of Directors has been working on a Transgender policy. This new policy had not been completed prior to this event occurring.
…
Everyone has commented on the posts that this lifter posted on their Instagram page. It is very unfortunate that the news media, social media and so many others have made comments before the true facts could be released.
Facts: 1. The lifter identifies as female, and so entered the contest (with no prior consultation with the Meet Director or (100% RAW officials). Our rules, and the basis of separating genders for competition, are based on physiological classification rather than identification. On the basis of all information presented to the Board of Directors for this particular case, the conclusion made, is that the correct physiological classification is male.
2. Since the lifter’s gender classification for the purpose of our rules is not consistent with female, no female records will be broken by these lifts.
3. The lifter was uncontested during the event therefore no female lifters were denied a place finish. The lifter will be placed in a different category once the Transgender Division is introduced with a new policy.
4. Drug testing results have not been completed and will take about another week to come back from the lab. As a drug test failure invalidates the lifts, we will need to wait for the results of the drug tests to determine if the lifts can be counted at all under our current set of rules.
Several ordinary Americans are forming organizations to protect sports from the transgender ideology. They include Beth Stelzer, founder of Save Women’s Sports, and Jennifer Bryson, founder of Let All Play.
Martina Navratilova & 2 other women athletes are trying to stop transgender men from taking women's sports prizes & status. But they don't oppose the transgender ideology – so they're just begging for self-serving exemption while leaving other women behind https://t.co/mgV7TltKg2
— Neil Munro (@NeilMunroDC) April 30, 2019