Amy Mek
Surfer, mom and book author Bethany Hamilton is speaking out against the World Surf League’s newly announced policy to allow men who identify as transgender women to compete at the highest level in professional surfing against other women.
Hamilton, who lost her left arm in a 2003 shark attack, is raising questions about the rules change, asking whether other professional surfers were consulted beforehand and wondering where this will lead.
She said on her Instagram account in a video this weekend that is now widely shared, “The World Surf League has officially made the rule that male-bodied individuals known as transgender athletes can officially compete in the women’s division.”
She added, “The World Surf League says they are following the Olympic guidelines.”
This weekend, she stressed on social media, “I strive to have love for all of mankind, regardless of any differences.”
But “this concerns me as a professional athlete” who has competed for the past 15-plus years, she added.
“And I feel that I must speak up and stand up” for others who cannot or won’t speak out about this, she said, as they “fear” they might be “ostracized” if they speak out.
“So – here I go,” she said.
“How is this rule playing out in other sports, like swimming, running and MMA?” she asked.
“Have any of the current surfers in the World Surf League been asked what their thoughts and opinions are on this new rule before it was passed or announced? Should there be a conversation?” she added.
“Is a hormone level an honest and accurate depiction that someone indeed is a male or female? Is it as simple as this?”
She also asked, “Who is pushing for this huge change?… Does this better the sport of surfing? Is this better for the women in surfing? If so, how?”
She added, “I personally think that the best solution would be to create a different division so that all can have a fair opportunity to showcase their passion and talent – and I think it’s really hard to imagine what the future of women’s surfing will be like in 15-20 years down the road if we move forward allowing this major change.”
She also announced, “I personally won’t be competing in or supporting the World Surf League if this rule remains.”
The World Surf League reportedly announced it’s adopting the International Surfing Association’s (ISA) transgender policy for all of its tours.
The change is taking effect immediately. One of the fundamental changes is as follows:
A surfer assigned male at birth who identifies as a woman and has woman/female on her national identity card or passport is eligible to compete in a men’s event or as a man in a mixed event if she has not met the requirements to compete in a woman’s event (such as maintaining testosterone level less than 5 nmol/l continuously for the previous 12 months).”
In addition, “A surfer assigned male at birth who identifies as a woman and has man/male or ‘other’ or ‘X’ on their national identity card or passport is eligible to compete in a men’s event or as a man in a mixed event,” as the ISA also says on its website.
Not the first time Hamilton has spoken out
It’s not the first time Hamilton has spoken against transgender women in surfing, reports The Pink News.
In 2022, popular surfing website Stab posted on Instagram after Sasha Jane Lowerson became the first openly, trans woman to win a surfing competition – not a WSL event, but the Western Australia Longboard State Championships.
Lowerson had previously competed in men’s WSL longboard events and followed Surfing Australia’s transgender policy before competing in women’s divisions; she told Stab in a separate interview.
In response to Stab’s story, Hamilton said: ‘Oh hell nooo [sic]”.
“Let people think & be what they want, but at least make a separate transgender division.”
RAIR Foundation
Part of the joy of women in any sport except basketball is their form and beauty. Tranny’s trying to make male bodies into female form is a disgusting abomination and total joke.
There is no such thing as a “Men’s” team. Rather, all those teams have always been open to the best and they are not restricted to just men. But since the biology of men causes them to dominate the “best” category people misnamed the teams as “men’s” teams.
We realized a long time ago that if we were going to have women in sports we needed to have teams restricted to only women. We have no need to have teams restricted to only men because that will just naturally occur when seeking the best.
But the truth of all this is it’s fake. They made up all this trans stuff because they wanted to make it very difficult to talk and write and not end up using the so-called wrong pronouns or disagree about trans-women in sports or disagree about grooming young children as sex objects. And then to use that to justify a ban against those to whom they politically disagree. In other words this is all just a Marxist plot. And the trans community doesn’t realize that once the Marxists get full power they will be disappeared.
that is what it will take to stop this BS, REFUSE to take part
Women in sports and everywhere just need to say NO, He!! NO and refuse to compete with men invading their field of sport.
Science deniers – please explain why anthropologists have yet to produce a third gender from human remains.
Every woman athlete who is forced to compete against men should boycott every sport it happens in. If they don’t, they are just enabling it.
Women need to boycott in this fashion. When women’s surfing is composed of 2 male surfers in bikinis, it MIGHT finally stop. This is how it will have to happen in ALL women’s sports. Sad, but true. Women who surrender and compete against men are giving tacit approval of the new way. Oh…and also dashing their hopes of victory.
LGB ≠ TQ
The former wanted equality, the latter wants submission. The real question is why are all corporations, government, and educators pushing this insanity? This is NOT an authentic movement. It is being pushed top down from the asset managers that control the boards and have cabinet positions in the DNC… so why?
This is a rug pull on all of shared humanity. If you can get people to believe something so insane, there is nothing you can’t get them to believe. This is part of a neo-feudal society they are pushing on us.
Resist, take them out of power. Our children need us to stand up.