Transgender “woman” Rachel McKinnon won gold at the 2018 UCI Masters, but now the athlete says his victory has been marred by news outlets and fellow athletes who insist on pointing out “she’s” actually a biological male.
McKinnon, who considers himself transgender but is still biologically male, won the track cycling medal last week, competing against a field of only women. McKinnon sailed to an easy win, largely because “she” had a significant height, weight, and power advantage over her competitors who didn’t have the luxury of actually being male.
McKinnon’s victory drew ire from track cycling competitors, including the woman who finished in third place, American cyclist Julie Wagner, who pointed out McKinnon’s clear advantage. But McKinnon fired back Wednesday, suggesting that race critics were nothing more than transphobic bigots who don’t respect gender preferences.
“I think there is absolutely no evidence that I have an unfair advantage,” McKinnon told the Gladstone Observer. “People who oppose transgender inclusion in sport put us in the double bind. It’s the ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t.'”
“If I win, they attribute it to me being trans and having an unfair advantage. If I lose, the same people think I must not be good anyway. People will never attribute my winning to hard work which is what I think I deserve,” McKinnon continued.
McKinnon may have worked hard, but there’s a reason men and women compete in separate events at the UCI Masters: the men post faster lap times than the women, and compete on an entirely separate level. Any biological male competing in the women’s events begins with a lead over his competitors. In the sprints, size and weight become especially important: the more power you can put behind your cycling, the faster you’ll go over short distances.
A photo of McKinnon with her fellow competitors is evidence enough of her advantage, regardless.
For clarity – this was the WOMENS world championships.
I repeat. Women’s.
Congratulations to the brave faces of silver & bronze. The world is gripped by a febrile madness. pic.twitter.com/P6VkaNFeyy
— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) October 14, 2018
After it was pointed out that there are basic, biological differences between men and women, McKinnon lashed out again, this time calling detractors “transphobic bigots” specifically, and pretending to be a spokeswoman for feminism.
Lots of transphobic bigots are responding to my world championship win saying that ‘Next up, the paralympics.’ Hey women, you realize that ALL of these people (many of them women) are comparing you to disabled people…right? Women = ‘disabled men’ they think. Wow. Offensive. pic.twitter.com/K5cbZgaOMc
— Dr. Rachel McKinnon (@rachelvmckinnon) October 14, 2018
McKinnon also pointed out that “she” is an “internationally recognized expert on the science and ethics of transgender inclusion in sport.”
It’s not actually bigoted to point out what’s verifiable through science, but that matters little to McKinnon, as it does to most gender-justice and social-justice warriors. The push for “acceptance,” runs roughshod over the fundamental dictates of fairness in sport, leaving biologically female athletes — many of whom have dedicated their lives to excelling in their chosen sport — last on the podium.