When it comes to Olympic season, some things are inevitable.
World records, memes, new sporting heroes, heartwarming moments, and finding out more about the host nation are now par for the course.
But sadly, something else has become as much a part of the Olympics and Paralympics as the 100m – talking about trans people taking part.
As a trans person, I’ve watched with alarm as the topic of our inclusion in sport has become a heated conversation in recent years.
In every major sporting event, I read comments from critics claiming trans participation is ‘ruining women’s sport’ – while some international sporting associations are banning trans women from elite sport entirely – including in more niche pursuits like chess.
Sadly, I’ve also found that every time this discourse rears its ugly head – there is one unfortunate athlete who finds themselves the target for abuse.
In 2021, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard was the subject of most vitriol, accused of an unfair advantage despite finishing last.
This year, it looks to be an Italian trans woman, sprinter Valentina Petrillo, 50, who is set to compete at the Paris Paralympic Games in the T12 200 and 400m sprints, having previously won bronze medals at the World para Athletics Championship last year in Paris.
It cheers me to see that the Paralympics, which is run by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), which is a separate organisation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is championing inclusion in this way.
Andrew Parsons, IPC President, has said that Valentina is welcome to compete under their policies.
But Parsons also called on sport to have a ‘united’ position on trans athletes, which in my opinion has as much chance of being bad news as good.
For example, World Athletics has banned trans women from competing in the female category, a precedent that I don’t want the Paralympics to follow.
One thing that is clear – Valentina does not deserve the level of vitriol she has received.
On social media, the usual anti-trans voices are misgendering Valentina, claiming she has an unfair advantage, making comments about her age, and even speculating that she doesn’t have a visual impairment.
The treatment of Valentina just proves again that transgender people like me still face extreme levels of stigma and exclusion from society.
Ironically, it also proves the importance of having someone like Valentina at the Paralympics – because banning trans women from elite sport is only going to add to this sense of exclusion.
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this is how many people have suddenly got a vested interest in women’s sport, and the Paralympics specifically, without ever having done so previously.
A transgender participant is apparently enough to turn people into experts on T12 sprinting events.
The reaction to Valentina is simply another opportunity to display their prejudice and disdain for trans people.
But the reality is very different.
To anyone that truly cares about women’s sport and women’s wellbeing, there are issues that are a lot more pressing and important than a trans woman competing at the Paralympics.
A report from July by UNESCO showed that women’s access to sport is still lagging far behind, and have urgently called for their member states to tackle inequalities facing women in sport at all levels.
These challenges include gender based violence, higher dropout rates for girls and lack of women in leadership roles in sport.
But those who are the loudest about trans inclusion in sport never seem to address these things from what I’ve seen, which makes me conclude that their outrage really isn’t about women’s rights and their well-being – but rather about their misguided prejudice towards trans people.
Trans inclusion in sport has become yet another vehicle for people to express their prejudice and hatred, and it is incredibly sad to see the impact it is having in wider society.
In my mind, banning trans people from participating in line with our gender identity is entirely against the spirit of sport, which is about friendship, solidarity and fair play.
With the Olympics leaving decisions up to individual sporting bodies, those organisations need to acknowledge and take accountability for the impact their actions have, and really take a good hard look at how they’ve gone against everything sport is supposed to stand for.
I hope that the Paralympics stand firm on their policy of inclusion, and the Olympics follow suit – not only because it’s fair, but because it’s the right thing to do.
I hope Valentina will be able to compete and enjoy it like other Olympians, and will be able to rise above the same barrage of abuse that trans athletes have faced in recent years.
She has been cleared to compete, and has done nothing wrong. She should not have her achievements queried, but instead celebrated and respected like all other competitors at the Paralympics.
Nothing good will be achieved through exclusion, and anyone supporting that has fundamentally misunderstood the foundation and purpose of sport on its most basic level.
We all deserve the same opportunities, and we all deserve respect, dignity and solidarity – and that includes trans athletes.
