One of the world’s most famous surfers who lost an arm in a shark attack as a teenager has spoken out about the controversial debate over transgender athletes.
Bethany Hamilton, 33, was attacked by a 15ft shark while surfing in 2003, but despite her life-changing injuries she became a professional athlete and took the surfing world by storm.
Hawaii-born Hamilton announced last year that she would boycott all World Surf League (WSL) events following the controversial decision to allow transgender women to compete in the female category.
The outraged mother of four wrote on X yesterday: ‘Athletes with male bodies should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports. Period of time.’
Bethany Hamilton, 33, was attacked by a 4-metre shark while surfing in 2003 – and despite her life-changing injuries, she became a professional athlete and took the surfing world by storm
Bethany Hamilton after the Heat 5 of the Women’s Round of 16 at Billabong Pro Pipeline in 2022 in Haleiwa, Hawaii
Her comment received support online. One person wrote: ‘Sad that this even needs to be said. Thank you for speaking out for female athletes.”
Another said: ‘Thank you Bethany for speaking out on this important issue to protect women and women’s sports!’
A third added: ‘Your voice is important in surfing. Thank you from me. But more importantly, thank you from every little girl who catches her first wave. Pressure must be put on ISAsurfing and WSL to change their position on this issue. International Athletics is part of the Olympic Games, but only has an organic women’s policy.’
Others said she shouldn’t even use the term “male body.” One person wrote: ‘I love the message but… Please don’t use their language. The use of terms like “masculine” lends credence to their twisted verbiage. Just say ‘Men’.”
Hamilton had previously spoken out against the WSL’s move.
Last year she said on Instagram: ‘This concerns me as a professional athlete who has competed in World Surf League events for the past fifteen years.
Bethany Hamilton, pictured at age 13 in 2004, was attacked by a shark while surfing near Tunnels Beach in Hawaii. She lost her left arm just below her shoulder, but miraculously survived the attack
One of the world’s most famous surfers who lost an arm in a shark attack as a teenager has spoken out about the controversial debate over transgender athletes
Bethany Hamilton is pictured with her husband
The mother of four, pictured with her family, said she believes trans athletes should have a separate section so they have a “fair opportunity to showcase their passion and talent.”
Rip Curl previously cut ties with Bethany Hamilton over her opposition to transgender people competing in women’s sports
“I feel I need to speak out and stand up for those who are in a position where they feel like they have no say in this.”
She said she believes trans athletes should have a separate division so they “have a fair opportunity to showcase their passion and talent.”
Hamilton’s comments came just as Australians called for a national boycott of iconic surf brand Rip Curl over its use of a transgender woman in its social media accounts.
The brand has since tried to erase any trace of the promotion.
Rip Curl came under fire for using Western Australian professional longboarder and transgender woman Sasha Lowerson in a women’s surfing promotion last week.
Lowerson, 44, was featured on the Rip Curl Women Instagram page on Thursday as part of the company’s Meet The Local Heroes of Western Australia campaign.
Rip Curl previously cut ties with Bethany Hamilton, reportedly due to her opposition to transgender people competing in women’s sports.
In May last year, transgender pro surfer Sasha Jane Lowerson told Daily Mail Australia she was turning her back on surfing to find peace, but it was the women possibly most threatened by her involvement who convinced her to turn to them belonged.
Lowerson said she remembers the reality that she might never compete again when her transition began in 2020, due to fears of “rejection and violence” from the old guard of male surfers.
‘I got to a point where I couldn’t go any further. “I had a lot of mental health issues that were symptoms of my gender dysphoria… from agoraphobia to anxiety and depression, which led to multiple attempts on my own life,” Lowerson said.
“I didn’t choose to live my truth, I just chose to live.”
Rip Curl came under fire for using Western Australian professional longboarder and transgender woman Sasha Lowerson (pictured) in a women’s surfing promotion last week
That meant quitting the sport she had loved since school.
“Surfing was something that kept me from making the transition because the old guard was so patriarchal, transphobic and homophobic,” she said.
Surfing, which will feature as a new sport at the 2024 Paris Olympics, adopted the International Surfing Association’s policy for transgender participation in early 2023.
The policy is recognized by the Olympic Committee and states: ‘The eligibility criteria applicable to transgender (trans) people and/or people with gender variations must be evidence-based, rights-respecting and developed on a sport-by-sport basis.’
It states that surfers born as biological males must maintain a steady testosterone level continuously for 12 months to be eligible to compete in a women’s event.
Hamilton and fellow Australian surfing legend Kelly Slater have previously called for a separate transgender division in the sport.
Across the sports world, stars like former Kentucky University swimmer Riley Gaines have spoken out against trans women competing in the same competitions as women.
Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines is sworn in during a hearing of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services on Capitol Hill on December 5, 2023 in Washington, DC. The hearing focused on the Biden administration’s proposed rule changes to Title IX to redefine the definition of sexual discrimination to include gender identity
Earlier this month, protesters hoping to “save women’s sports” said they gathered outside the NCAA’s annual convention to demand an end to transgender athletes’ participation in female events.
The rally included Gaines and former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan — a teammate of trans athlete Lia Thomas — as well as many parents, students and activists from both conservative and “liberal feminist” organizations.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Scanlan said she and her allies are fighting for dignity in their chosen sports.
“As a survivor of sexual assault, I was forced to undress in front of a man every day before entering the pool at Penn,” she said. “The NCAA sponsored this repeated trauma because it did not recognize women’s sports. We implore the NCAA to give women back our dignity.”
The issue has divided the US in recent years, with critics claiming transgender athletes have an unfair advantage over women in competition. At least 23 states have passed laws to protect women’s sports.