A surfing tournament in California has been told by US state authorities that it will have to include a transgender woman in the women’s competition.
US state authorities have told a surfing tournament in California that it must include a trans woman in the women’s competition or event management will have violated state law.
The decision was made by the California Coastal Commission (CCC), the state agency responsible for managing beaches along the state’s 1,800 miles of coastline.
According to the body, the league “may not discriminate (people) on the basis of sex.”
Tournament organizers had announced that Australian Sasha Jane Lowerson would not be able to compete in the Huntington Beach Longboard Pro.
The decision has divided opinion and generated reactions in California.
Lowerson had entered the women’s division of the competition on Saturday (04) in Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles.
She said she came forward because rules set by the International Surfing Association (ISA) allow transgender women to compete if they meet certain criteria related to testosterone levels.
“I was really disappointed and surprised [por ter sido excluída]”he told the BBC.
“You can’t pick rules from the rulebook. If you’re going to use the rulebook, use it in its entirety.”
Todd Messick, director of the American Longboard Association, which organizes the competition, announced on April 25 that the competition would not allow trans women to participate in the women’s division, saying he wanted to “ensure a level playing field for all athletes.”
He told the BBC he was “surprised at the amount of anger” the decision had generated, but added: “What I also found was that a lot of people were very grateful that I was speaking out.”
“I was trying to do the right thing. It wasn’t something I really expected to have to deal with, not in our little community of longboard“, he said.
Lowerson, an Australian who has won men’s championships in her home country, said she found positive attitudes in the world of professional surfing when she began living as a woman.
“Three years ago I had just started my transition and called Surfing Australia [organização de surfe do país]”, she said.
“I was very well received. They were very open about being inclusive and progressive.”
After transitioning, she helped develop new guidelines adopted by Australia’s governing body that allow transgender surfers to compete in women’s events.
In the United States the issue has proved more controversial. The issue is also under the spotlight in California because Los Angeles will host the Olympic Games in four years, in 2028.
Last year, the World Surf League (WSL) announced a new policy on transgender participation, which allows trans women to compete in women’s events if they maintain a testosterone level below a certain threshold for at least 12 months.
Some professional surfers, including the well-known Bethany Hamilton, have criticized the new rule, which is based on a policy created by the International Surfing Association.
“Many of the girls currently competing do not support this new rule and fear being ostracized if they speak out,” Hamilton said at the time.
“Is hormone level an accurate representation of whether someone is male or female?”
Referring to Hamilton’s statements, Todd Messick, organizer of the longboardhe added: “90% of the surfers I spoke to agree, but many don’t comment.”
Surfers like Hamilton, who oppose transgender women participating in the women’s event, argue they have an unfair strength advantage.
Lowerson, a longboardershe says he doesn’t think this is his case.
“It’s not a race, it’s a question of style, fluidity, grace. How longboardersit’s more like dancing on a wave,” he said, adding that he can demonstrate that his testosterone levels are below the required threshold.
The surfer says that despite the criticism, she will continue to compete in women’s events.
“Inadvertently, I became the emblem of trans women in surfing,” she points out.
“Not that I wanted to do it, but it just happened.”
“Sport is community. It’s about sharing and having fun with other like-minded people, and the fact that we’re losing sight of that is really sad.”
Local sporting events that do not allow transgender women to compete in women’s categories may be shut down, according to the California Coastal Commission.
“Surfing competitions in state waters must be conducted legally and without gender discrimination,” the organization’s spokesman, Joshua Smith, told BBC News.
A letter from the Coastal Agency to competition organizers, seen by the BBC, says the ban on transgender women is “inconsistent with the public access, recreation and environmental justice policies of the Coastal Act”.
Messick says he was informed that “this landed on the desk of the governor of California.”
The BBC reached out to Governor Gavin Newsom’s office for a position, but did not receive a response as of the publication of this report.
There is no consensus among different sporting bodies on what rules should be implemented for transgender competitors, and some are establishing policies.
International swimming body World Aquatics has effectively banned transgender women from competing in major women’s swimming events.
The UCI, world cycling’s governing body, also decided that transgender women will be barred from competing in international women’s events.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
