Kowa-Bummer?

    On February 6, 2023, The World Surf League (WSL) announced a new policy change that would permit transgender women to compete in the women’s division as long as their testosterone levels are below a certain amount for at least 12 months. 

    The change was met with mixed reactions, but the most notable voice of contention came from Bethany Hamilton. Hamilton is a professional surfer, a shark attack survivor, a six-time world champion, and a devout Christian. 

Bethany Hamilton, after surfing with a shortboard.

    Hamilton posted a video on Instagram expressing her disagreement with the WSL’s policy and ended the video by announcing she will no longer compete in or support any WSL events if this policy stands. 

    We’ve recently seen an increase in policy changes similar to this across sports organizations. Within the surfing world, in May of 2022, Sasha Jane Lowerson became the first transgender athlete to win a surfing competition. Lowerson started her transition when she was 40 years old and has been surfing competitively (in men’s divisions) her entire life.

Sasha Jane Lowerson, surfing on a longboard.

    Surfing is an interesting sport because both men and women have plenty of adoring fans and many times the women are just as popular or more popular than the men. Contrasting what we might see with NBA vs. WNBA players. I think an important distinction to make, is that there are not many differences between the way men and women surf. The biggest difference, in the techniques of surfing, is not necessarily men vs. women, but rather those who surf on longboards vs. shortboards. Many professional women surf incredibly well and could nearly rival any male surfer. 

    These changes make me wonder, is this fair to biological women? If the goal is to make sports fair for all athletes, why are biological women being forced to accept it and when they do speak up, like Bethany Hamilton, they are faced with unprecedented backlash and hate? Is this a step in the right direction? Does it even matter?

    It seems to me, that numerous organizations have recently said they want to support “all women” by implementing new policies, but ultimately cause more harm than good, and oftentimes at the expense of biological women.

https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/bethany-hamilton-criticizes-wsl-over-transgender-policy