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news
Emily Bridges on cover of DIVA magazine“Trans rights are human rights,” says Rapha – “all athletes should have the opportunity to race”
Rapha has said that “trans rights are human rights” in a reference to Emily Bridges, the transgender cyclist who is pictured on the cover of this month’s issue of Diva, the magazine for LGBTQI women and non-binary people, wearing kit from the London-based clothing and accessories brand.
> Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges insists she has no advantage over rivals
Bridges had been due to make her debut in a women’s race at the National Omnium Championships in February after her testosterone levels fell within those allowed by British Cycling under its Transgender and Non-Binary Participation Policy.
However, world cycling’s governing body, the UCI, subsequently barred the 21 year old from competing at the event and British Cycling has since suspended its policy.
In her interview with Diva, Bridges insisted that the hormone replacement therapy she has undergone means she does not have a physical advantage over riders she would be competing against in women’s races.
“I don't have any advantage over my competitors and I've got data to back that up,” maintained the cyclist, who has been undergoing testing at Loughborough University.
In response to a tweet from road.cc linking to our coverage of Bridges’ interview, Rapha said: “Trans rights are human rights. We believe that all athletes should have the opportunity to race. We don’t have all the answers to how this should be actioned but we’re standing by our athletes and supporting them.”
Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges insists she has no advantage over rivals
“We're the current punching bag in the culture war,” says 21 year old in interview with DIVA magazinehttps://t.co/hmHRBvf9OD #cycling pic.twitter.com/ejzbaiTM2u
— road.cc (@roadcc) May 26, 2022
Trans rights are human rights. We believe that all athletes should have the opportunity to race. We don’t have all the answers to how this should be actioned but we’re standing by our athletes and supporting them.
— Rapha (@rapha) May 30, 2022
There are few issues in sport right now that are as polarising of opinion as whether transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women’s competitions, and SRS Events said in a tweet: “Can’t understand why Emily doesn’t understand that it’s unfair to cis women if she takes part in women’s cycle racing events?”
In response to that tweet, Bridges' mother Sandy Sullivan responded, saying: "Because she's spent the last nearly 18 months as part of detailed scientific research studies which includes muscular biopsy data amongst other DETAILED scientific testing. Compare [the above] to previous data held by BC (5 YRS WORTH).”
Because she's spent the last nearly 18 months as part of detailed scientific research studies which includes muscular biopsy data amongst other DETAILED scientific testing. Compare ⬆️ to previous data held by BC (5 YRS WORTH)
— Sandy 💜💙❤ 🏳️🌈 Ally She/Her (@sullivansa1) May 27, 2022
Bridges also told Diva that transgender athletes are “the current punching bag populist movements like to go for. We are, at the moment, who the culture war is against.
“There needs to be more positive voices and more education. People are constructing opinions off not the whole story.
“The more studies that are done, the more concrete evidence there will be.
“Sport acts as a microcosm to the rest of society, so with the patriarchal structure that exists in the rest of society, that's intensified in sport,” she added.
Rapha is controlled by an RZC Investments, owned by Tom and Steuart Walton, two of the heirs to the Walmart grocery fortune.
The retailer, founded by their grandfather Sam Walton, is based in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Rapha relocated its North American HQ in 2020 from Portland, Oregon to Bentonville, which in January hosted this year’s UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, with Walmart acting as headline sponsor to the event.
In March, the Republican governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, vetoed legislation aimed at banning gender-confirming treatments or surgery for transgender youth. His veto was subsequently overturned by the state legislature.
Tom Walton said in a statement published at the time on the website of the Walton Family Foundation that he backed the governor’s position, reports Bike Industry and Retail News, although it noted that Hutchinson had previously signed into law legislation banning transgender women and girls from competing in school sports.
“We are alarmed by the string of policy targeting LGBTQ people in Arkansas,” Walton said.
“This trend is harmful and sends the wrong message to those willing to invest in or visit our state.
“We support Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s recent veto of discriminatory policy and implore government, business and community leaders to consider the impact of existing and future policy that limits basic freedoms and does not promote inclusiveness in our communities and economy.
“Our nation was built on inalienable rights and strengthened by individual differences. Arkansas has been called the land of opportunity because it is a place where anyone can think big and achieve the extraordinary.
“Any policy that limits individual opportunity also limits our state’s potential,” he added.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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169 comments
Well, if I take the findings from this study
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/11/577
then it's B.
Transwomen retain an advantage in upper body strength (push-ups) over female controls for 1–2 years after starting gender affirming hormones.
Transwomen retain an advantage in endurance (1.5 mile run) over female controls for over 2 years after starting gender affirming hormones.
Transwomen are currently mandated to have 1 year of testosterone suppression before being permitted to compete at the elite level. This may be too short if the aim is a level playing field.
During an interview with Matt Stephens, Pippa York talked about other changes that impact cycling ability for her (adding weight, loss of power so power to weight ratio reduced). I'll not going to comment on the time, just that it is likely a level playing field can be achieved and we need to focus on that. We need to focus on include and not exclude.
Pippa went through full gender reassignment surgery. A lot of trans people do not. Around 5-10% of trans women get genital surgery (https://www.statsforgender.org/surgery/).
Trick question, as all 3 still have advantages for a considerable time after commencing hormone therapy. The first reference below confirms that running performance benefits exist more than 2 years after starting hormone therapy. The second reference confirms that muscle area (affecting both push ups and sit-ups) is maintained for 3 years after starting hormone therapy.
" hormone therapy decreases strength, LBM and muscle area, yet values remain above that observed in cisgender women, even after 36 months. These findings suggest that strength may be well preserved in transwomen during the first 3 years of hormone therapy. "
It is worth noting that the conclusion above from my second reference was written by a female transgender sports scientist. This makes a nonsense of the 12 month rule.
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/11/577
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/15/865
Wrong again dear. This is why I do not post links.
"... the push-up and sit-up differences disappeared..."
Wrong again. Read the second reference. More muscle density helps pushup and situps. And the only reason you don't post references is you cant be bothered to read a cross section of reports to gain a broad understanding.
Ignoring first reference and only referencing the second reference to prove your own opinion without context or justification. Bias at best...Shame on you.
I ignored neither, they were both my references. If you read the detail of the first reference instead of speed reading, what it actually says is that during the test they failed to adequately account for the higher average weight of the transgender women, so in performing the same number of pushups/situps, they still generated more power. So both reports agree that after 2 years in one case, and 3 years in the other, there is retained muscle after treatment.
"For example, as a group, transwomen weigh more than CW. Thus transwomen will have a higher power output than CW when performing an equivalent number of push-ups. Therefore, our study may underestimate the advantage in strength that transwomen have over CW."
I am done feeding the troll.
Well, would you Adam and Eve it?
In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose above the great velodrome of Manchester. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the Disc Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.
Without any judgment at all on the wider issues, I still don't understand the testosterone-reducing business: as far as I understand Emily's account, she has been on treatment for many, many months and it has "massively" reduced her capacity, and yet she won a national men's race less than a month before she was due to race as a woman. As far as I'm aware she was not World Tour standard before beginning treatment, which is the only way I can see someone could have their capacity massively reduced and still win a national student championship.
Yes, the science is complex, so better to leave opinions to the scientists.
Do you mean scientist that only agree with and back Emily's results or all scientists? Have the results been made available to all scientists?
I am presuming you are not a scientist based on your reply as you do not understand how study are reviewed & published. Your using the same types of argument those "trans-radicals" use. Maybe a role in No10 or Cabinet Office would be more suitable?
You are correct, I'm not a scientist. I'm assuming by your replies you are and have seen the results of Emily's test? So they haven't been reviewed, studies and published by you want BC to take them and abide by them? I'm assuming these studies included double blind tests using various subjects that have had hormone levels reduced/increased. I'm assuming it's not a test based on Emily and her results alone because that would be a single subject test with someone that has a vested interest in the outcome
As for the boycott, read the stories on this subject as it was well publicised that Emily's competitors were ready to walk away from the race if Emily started.
By saying there are many ways to define biological sex you mean to cloud the issue again, hoping the tiny tiny amount of people that are DSD will prove the point for trans athletes, which is completely different.
Laughing. Your not a scientist but continue to voice your opinions like you are! Oh well, never mind dear.
Guardian was the source "...several riders held talks about boycotting the event in protest...". How many is several? And they talked about boycotting. I talk about winning the Tour De France, but that is not going to happen.
I am not clouding anything. I am saying follow the science and do not voice your own opinion as science or fact.
Ooh - just one slip there! Science at its best is finding out what there is / how it is. Sport would ideally be informed by science. However it's actually an activity of human decision-making and politics. It's about someone / some group making up a set of rules and persuading others to stick to them.
So "leave the science to the scientists and hope the opinions of the sport's governing body - and eventually those competing / spectating - are informed by the science - oh, and they take into account wider social considerations around 'fairness and inclusion' too" would be better. If not as snappy.
Suggest you read a science report, they have a conclusion! Sport is informed by science e.g. doping!
I think you'll find most sporting bodies want to keep politics out of sport. Politics is for the Government, they make the laws and sporting bodies act within them. Yes, the sporting body makes the rules and we either abide by them or do not compet or get sanctioned if we break them e.g. doping or socks too high.
So the truth finally comes out. Ignore the science and go by social considerations. Shame on you.
For a "scientist" you seem to have your conclusion prepared before you've done your literature review - or paid close attention to the data. You're right, it's been ages but I do recall the importance of citation. Or presenting some results. I'd be delighted if you could bring some more to this topic - some of us are clearly struggling with the basics, others no doubt would be keen for something a little more in-depth.
I was just interested in your repeated use of "but science" when the context makes clear what this is about is making a decision, or building consensus. Not the same, see...
"Most sporting bodies want to keep politics out of sport" - that may be so, I was merely trying to be ... scientific and point out "what is" rather than "what I'd like it to be". Plenty examples of politics getting into sports [russia] [america]. Note I'm not saying that this is a good thing nor that I want more of this.
That's quite an odd reading you've made of what I've written there.
I think this definitely wins Amusing Comment of the Month.
Leaving aside the unnecessary snottiness of your reply, that is exactly what I'm asking, can anyone explain how the science reconciles these apparently contradictory statements that the hormone treatment has massively reduced Emily's physical capacities and yet she still won a quite high-level race racing as a man just before she was supposedly so reduced in capacity that it was OK for her to race as a woman? As I said, I'm not trying to pass judgement either way, I would just like to know the answer.
I'll bite - if only for theoretical purposes - HTH
She won a shortish (30km) points race which was closer to the Senior Womens distance of (25km) than the mens (40km). Its also a tactical endurance race mixing sprinters and more general riders according the Notts U results site so its entirely possible not to be the best in either and come out on top. Unless you have an eye witness that says she completely destroyed the field then its pure speculation that doing well in this race means she will do well in other types of womens races. Its a bit like the fuss around the Lea Thomas results that omitted to mention she came in well behind in several other races coz that doesnt fit the "trans women will destroy female sport" narrative. Before anyone else mentions Emily helped the team pursuit to a BUS bronze too, again hard to judge absolute ability there.
Also - are you sure its a high level race in the grand scheme of things? Its gifted amateur cyclists doing uni degrees when (arguably) the really talented ones are already riding their Pro or Neo-pro contracts or desperately grafting to get there.
I'm on the fence whether Emily can compete fairly with cis women - especially at the Pro level (She was about to race Laura Kenny ffs!). Testosterone feels a little crude as a measure. But I dont like the way it was handled.
Bit on points racing here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/get_involved/426373...
Notts U here:
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/sport/news-and-events/news/news/successful-...
"it was imperative that a sizeable gap could be maintained and heading into the final lap Emily knew she had done enough to win BUCS Gold"
Thats from the link you posted. A sizeable gap. She maintained a sizeable gap to the other male competitors. Sounds pretty much like she was able to create/maintain a sizeable gap. Because it says it, sizeable gap.
And? Women and men have won races with sizable gaps before. And on another day they've lost by the narrowest of margins.
In one race that requires tactics and guile against middle rank competion (at best) compared to the Pro's. It says nothing about her general ability or her ability to beat women in general. Its just 1 data point.
How much wailing and gnashing of teeth was there when Fiona Kolbinger destroyed the male competition by almost 8hrs in the Trans Continental? There wasn't - it was rightly celebrated.
I'm not saying its right or wrong to let Emily compete in her current state against females at the highest level. I'm saying lets not prejudge it as you so clearly have.
Ah, the old "Fiona Kolbinger" argument. Is Fiona trans? No, therefore irrelevant as a point of comparison.
Again, you write Emily's competition off as low/middling at best so that you can try to explain that's the only reason she won, because they were crap. Yet we should write that off as a point of comparison against her competing against biological women? A lot of her female competitors in that race aren't pros either, does that lessen their rights to fair competition?
Reading the report it seems to be talking about a gap in points rather than in distance on the track, having said that the points race is a really gruelling effort in which you barely recover from one sprint before you have to do it again and Emily managed to win consecutive sprints in the middle of the race.
Interesting reply, food for thought. I would say that BUCS is a reasonably high standard of competition, Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton both racing in the championships and, for example, the men's and women's individual pursuit championship records being times good enough to have taken gold at the Atlanta Olympics. It's a fair point about the nature of the points race in terms of comparison with other races - on the other hand in comparison with other male racers, well she did beat them all and the report to which you link does refer to her taking two consecutive sprints mid race, then building a sizeable lead and winning with a sizeable gap, so it does sound a pretty emphatic victory.
How can anyone give an opinion based on "high-level race". Do we know anything about the other racers? The science is complex, leave it to them.
You keep saying the science is complex but no actual science is being offered for us to see any actual complexities. Maybe if some were offered we may be able to use that to see much deeper than what's on the surface, a biological male competing against biological females.
A lot of articles and papers online. Google it. You'll be surprised.
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