Four women’s powerlifting world records were shattered on Sunday by Mary Gregory, a biological male who identifies as female. The transgender athlete set Masters powerlifting world records in women’s squat, bench press, and deadlift, and scored a Masters world total record.
“What a day, 9 for 9! Masters world squat record, open world bench record, masters world dl record, and masters world total record!” Gregory posted to Instagram.
“A huge thank you to [RAW Powerlifting Federation], from the bottom of my heart! As a transgender lifter I was unsure what to expect going into this meet and everyone – all the spotters, loaders, referees, staff, meet director, all made me welcome and treated me as just another female lifter- thank you!” the athlete continued. “And thanks to all the fans in the audience who cheered me on and congratulated me!”
“#TransgenderWomen,” “#ShareThePlatform,” “#TransRightsAreHumanRights,” “LGBTQ,” and “MoreFemaleStrength” were some of the hashtags included in Gregory’s post.
This is not the first time that biologically female athletes have been supplanted by biological males. For example, Connecticut high schooler Selina Soule appeared on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” in February to speak out about trans athletes in women’s sports after two biologically male transgender sprinters beat the field, effectively bumping Soule from an opportunity to compete in front of college coaches.
“I am very happy for these athletes and I fully support them for being true to themselves and having the courage to do what they believe in,” the high schooler told host Laura Ingraham. “But, in athletics, it’s an entirely different situation. It’s scientifically proven that males are built to be physically stronger than females. It’s unfair to put someone who is biologically a male, who has not undergone anything in terms of hormone therapy, against cis-gender girls.”
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, an openly gay LGBT advocate, has also spoken out against the unfair nature of biologically male athletes competing against women.
“Letting men compete as women simply if they change their name and take hormones is unfair — no matter how those athletes may throw their weight around,” Navratilova wrote in an op-ed for The Times of London.
“It’s insane and it’s cheating,” she added. “I am happy to address a transgender woman in whatever form she prefers, but I would not be happy to compete against her. It would not be fair.”
After predictable backlash hit Navratilova, Olympic medalist Sharron Davies came forward to highlight her concerns with the trans movement in girls and women’s sports, too.
“I have nothing against anyone who wishes [to] be transgender. However I believe there is a fundamental difference between the binary sex u r born with & the gender u may identify as. To protect women’s sport those with a male sex advantage should not be able [to] compete in women’s sport,” Davies posted in a tweet last month.
As highlighted by PJ Media on Monday, Davies also weighed-in on Gregory’s record-setting powerlifting performance. “This is a trans woman a male body with male physiology setting a world record & winning a woman’s event in America in powerlifting. A woman with female biology cannot compete.. it’s a pointless unfair playing field,” she wrote via Twitter.