Transgender cyclist Austin Killips is lashing out at what he is calling a “cabal of right-wingers” in the wake of a new ruling by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) that trans athletes who transitioned after male puberty cannot compete in the women’s category.
Its new rule is far more strict and will prevent trans athletes, including Killips, from competing as women.
In the wake of the ruling, Killips railed about the new policy.
“I am devastated by the UCI’s decision to renege on the policy and framework they previously set out for inclusion,” Killips said, according to Fox News. “My journey in professional racing has allowed me to see the world, build lifelong friendships, and most importantly give my absolute all to something I find deeply fulfilling. No one should be denied the opportunity to chase the same joy that I and others have found through racing.”
Killips, who has been racking up wins as a women cyclist, blamed a “cabal of right-wingers” for having him excluded as a female cyclist.
Belgian Marion Norbert Riberolle, Dutch Denise Betsema, and American Austin Killips pictured on the podium after the women’s elite race of the ‘Kasteelcross’ cyclocross cycling event, race 7/8 in the ‘Exact Cross’ competition, Saturday 21 January 2023 in Zonnebeke. (DAVID PINTENS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
“I guess what complicates all of this is the sense that it is fallout from something I did,” Killips wrote. “Surely if it wasn’t me someone else would have become the scapegoat but the unfortunate matter is that I’m one of the figures that pushed the limits of inclusion for this particular moment and a cabal of right-wingers who want nothing but the worst for the world were able to successfully weaponize it,” he wrote.
“Ten years earlier or ten years down the road who’s to say what happens,” Killips continued. “But circumstance is such that I am close to the center of a fight that is much bigger than me or any of my previous aspirations. I hope to right the injustice that has been incurred in response to my success in the sport. Other people fought tirelessly to make the last several years of my life possible, it would be unconscionable to not agitate for the next person who wants to give their all to racing bikes.”
“We have to fight for what is right knowing that it’s for the good of others and not our own lots in life. I do not need to line up at a World Cup again but I won’t be able to sleep at night if I’m not fighting for the next woman who deserves a shot at everything this sport has given me,” he said.
UCI changed its policy last week after meeting to reconsider its earlier rules that allowed trans athletes who met specific requirements for time of transition and testosterone levels.
The @UCI_cycling should hang their heads in same. An average man beats all the women. Those hard working ladies obviously didn’t want it hard enough. Such a poor message to be sending our future female cyclists. A proper shit show https://t.co/L8G8T16q2j
— The Brick Session (@thebricksession) May 1, 2023
“The meeting of the UCI Management Committee was held following a seminar on the conditions for the participation of transgender athletes in women’s cycling events, organized by the UCI on 21 June, at which the various stakeholders – transgender and cisgender athletes, experts from the scientific, legal and human rights fields, and sporting institutions – were able to present their respective positions,” the statement read.
“From now on, female transgender athletes who have transitioned after (male) puberty will be prohibited from participating in women’s events on the UCI International Calendar – in all categories – in the various disciplines,” the statement added.
This rule pretty much eliminates all trans female athletes from being able to compete in the women’s category, as very few trans people perform their transitions before puberty.
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