The LGBTQ Agenda: Female weightlifters 'told to be quiet' about transgender athlete

A female New Zealand Olympic weightlifter says women complaining about transgender athlete Laurel Hubbard competing in the Tokyo Games are being told to 'be quiet'.

Hubbard is on track to become the first transgender athlete to compete at an Olympics after the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) modified qualifying requirements for the Tokyo Games.

But Tracey Lambrechs, who also competed for New Zealand in weightlifting, has said she believes Hubbard competing in the sport would be unfair to other women.

'I'm quite disappointed, quite disappointed for the female athlete who will lose out on that spot,' Lambrechs, who won a bronze medal for New Zealand at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, told TVNZ.

'We're all about equality for women in sport but right now that equality is being taken away from us.

'I've had female weightlifters come up to me and say, "what do we do? This isn't fair, what do we do?". Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do because every time we voice it we get told to be quiet.' 

The athlete still has to satisfy the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) of his fitness and performance standards before selection for the team but the prospect he will compete as a woman in Tokyo has already upset many people.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) said the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) had revised its qualifying due to the impact of Covid-19, putting Hubbard in the frame for Tokyo selection.

'The NZOC can confirm that revised International Federation (IF) qualification systems are very likely to see a number of New Zealand weightlifters, including Commonwealth Games transgender athlete Laurel Hubbard, allocated an IF quota spot for Tokyo 2020,' the NZOC said in a statement.

'A previous requirement to attend six competition events has been reduced to four due to the impact of COVID-19.'

In a statement on Thursday, the IOC said that while committed to inclusion, it was currently reviewing its guidelines to take into account the "perceived tension between fairness/safety and inclusion/non-discrimination".

"The IOC is developing new guidance to help ensure that athletes “ regardless of their gender identity and/or sex characteristics, can engage in safe and fair competition," it said.

The exact criteria for transgender participation in elite sport is determined by the international federations and some have already adjusted the IOC guidelines for power events.

World Rugby banned transgender athletes from the elite women's game last year for safety reasons. 

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