(OPINION) ETH– An Olympic committee director claimed “everyone agrees that transgender women are women” as he praised New Zealand trans weightlifter Laurel Hubbard. The statement was made by International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical and Science
Director Dr. Richard Budgett told reporters the science and consensus is settled. The story came on Monday, where 43-year-old Hubbard, the oldest lifter, competed in the women’s super-heavyweight 87-kilogram weightlifting category in the Tokyo Games but did not advance after failing all three attempted lifts.
According to The Washington Blade, The director reportedly praised weightlifter Laurel Hubbard’s “courage and tenacity” as she prepares for her upcoming competition as the world’s first out transgender woman Olympian.
In speaking to reporters in Tokyo Thursday, Dr. Richard Budgett directly addressed those who have attacked and mocked the 43-year-old New Zealander and claimed she shouldn’t be competing with cisgender women, saying “everyone agrees that trans women are women.”
“To put it in a nutshell,” he said, “the IOC had a scientific consensus back in 2015. There are no IOC rules or regulations around transgender participation. That depends on each international federation. So Laurel Hubbard is a woman, is competing under the rules of her federation and we have to pay tribute to her courage and tenacity in actually competing and qualifying for the Games.”
