Transgender Weightlifter Smashes Several Women's World Records in One Day
Backlash as Olympic champions declare 'foul play' - 'pointless, unfair playing field'
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A born-male transgender weightlifter, who "identifies" as a woman, smashed four women's world records in a single day, igniting a backlash from female Olympic champions.
On Saturday, biological male trans powerlifter Mary Gregory announced on Instagram they had set four women's world records in one day at a Raw Powerlifting Federation event while competing as a transgender female.
Gregory crushed the existing records for the masters world squat, open world bench press, masters world deadlift, and masters world total events.
"As a transgender lifter I was unsure what to expect going into this meet and everyone — all the spotters, loaders, referees, staff, meet director, all made me welcome and treated me as just another female lifter," Gregory gushed in an Instagram post. "Thank you!"
The record smashing news wasn't met with such enthusiasm by all, however, and ignitged a backlash from "cisgender" (a person who identifies as the gender they were born with - apparently) female Olympic champions who are calling "foul play."
A pair of Olympic medalists decried Gregory's world record-setting efforts, declaring that allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sporting events creates a "pointless, unfair playing field."
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According to The Blaze, former swimmer Sharron Davies who won a silver medal for Great Britain in the 1980 Summer Olympics blasted the news.
Davies — who's been outspoken against transgender females competing against biological females — tweeted that Gregory has a "male body with male physiology" and that a "woman with female biology cannot compete.
"It's a pointless unfair playing field."
This is a trans woman a male body with male physiology setting a world record & winning a woman’s event in America in powerlifting. A woman with female biology cannot compete.. it’s a pointless unfair playing field. https://t.co/sI9i3AFANB
— Sharron Davies MBE (@sharrond62) April 28, 2019
Replying to Davies' tweet was Dame Kelly Holmes, who won a pair of gold medals — the 800-meter and 1,500-meter races — for Great Britain at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Holmes noted that "it's a bloody joke and all getting ready for biological women to boycott certain events.
"Have a trans category if need be but even better a trans games.
"Otherwise I'm starting to worry about the backlash and abuse that the trans community will get from spectators. It will happen!"
For a peek at Gregory in action, here's an Instagram video from earlier this month:
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According to PJ Media, Davies went on to lament that in many sports — especially in the United States — biological men may compete against biological women without having to undergo surgery or take hormones or even have a professional medical diagnosis.
"No surgery required today... no hormones... no medical diagnosis.. just self ID & reduced testosterone to a level x5 the highest average (98%) of XX females.. far worse than most realise. Madness & unfair," she tweeted.
No surgery required today .. no hormones... no medical diagnosis.. just self ID & reduced testosterone to a level x5 the highest average (98%) of XX females.. far worse than most realise. Madness & unfair
— Sharron Davies MBE (@sharrond62) April 29, 2019
"The reason we have men & women’s races are because we are biologically different," Davies explained.
"Performance 100% confirms that.
"The reason steroids (including testosterone) are on the banned list is because using them gives you an advantage.
"FairPlay is racing by biology by sex not by gender."
The reason we have men & women’s races are because we are biologically different. Performance 100% confirms that. The reason steroids (including testosterone) are on the banned list is because using them gives you an advantage. FairPlay is racing by biology by sex not by gender
— Sharron Davies MBE (@sharrond62) April 29, 2019
The organization Save Women's Sports also drew attention to Gregory on Facebook.
"Mary was born a man and is very proud of this cool new trophy from dominating the women's division in powerlifting," the group posted on Facebook.
"Mary now has the women's masters world squat record, open world bench record, masters world deadlift record, and masters world total record."
"Transgender inclusion in women's sports will be the end of women's sports," the organization added.
"Now is the time to speak up!"
