Tipsheet

Here's Why One Male 'Trans' Athlete Refuses to Compete Against Men

Madeline Leesman
Madeline Leesman  |  February 22, 2024 1:00 PM

A male athlete who thinks that he is a “transgender woman” said in an interview that he will not compete in a men’s category or an “open” category because it’s “not safe” for him to do so.

The athlete, Zach “Emily” Bridges, competes in cycling in the United Kingdom. In 2022, Townhall covered how Bridges was prohibited from competing in a women’s championship race following threats of boycott by female competitors. Shortly after, the governing body for the sport reinforced its transgender athlete guidelines.

In an interview with ITV News, Bridges complained that he’s been excluded from competing against women, claiming that he can’t “do something I used to love.”

The reporter pointed out that Bridges could compete in an open category. 

“Can I? Will it be safe for me to compete in an open category?” he retorted.

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"A ban is a ban. You can say you can compete in the open category, but we’re women - we should be able to race in the women’s category," he claimed.

According to UnHerd, Bridges is 6’2” and went through male puberty. Adult males have greater muscle mass, greater lung capacity,  can run faster, and have many other physical advantages compared to women in sports. But, athletes like Bridges appear entitled to compete in women’s sports simply because they “feel” like a woman, not acknowledging the issues of fairness and safety that come with “trans” athletes competing against women. 

Bridges is taking his fight to overturn British Cycling’s policies that bar him from competing against women to the European Court of Human Rights. 

In the United States, male swimmer Will “Lia” Thomas, who competed against women at the University of Pennsylvania and robbed them of awards and opportunities, has been in a “secret” legal battle to overturn rules that prohibit him from competing against women. 

As Townhall covered, Thomas hired a Canadian law firm to ask the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland to overturn the rules imposed by World Aquatics that prevent him from competing.

In a previous interview, Thomas claimed that it was a goal of his to compete in the Olympics. But of course, if you look at his record in the sport, he was not racking up awards until he competed against women.