Emily Bridges, a 21-year-old transgender cyclist, will not compete in National Omnium Championships against other women, including five-time Olympic champion Dame Laura Kenny, British Cycling announced on Wednesday.
“Under the British Cycling Transgender and Non-Binary Participation policy, Emily Bridges was due to participate in the British National Omnium Championships on Saturday 2nd April,” British Cycling said in a March 30 statement.
“We have now been informed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) that under their current guidelines Emily is not eligible to participate in this event,” it continued.
The organization added that it understands Bridges’ “disappointment” in the decision, adding that “transgender and non-binary inclusion is bigger than one race and one athlete – it is a challenge for all elite sports. ”
“We believe all participants within our sport deserve more clarity and understanding around participation in elite competitions and we will continue to work with the UCI on both Emily’s case and the wider situation with regards to this issue,” it continued, although it added that the “concept of fairness is essential.”
“For this reason, British Cycling is today calling for a coalition to share, learn and understand more about how we can achieve fairness in a way that maintains the dignity and respect of all athletes,” it said.
Bridges, a biological male, began hormone therapy last year and was apparently “eligible to compete in women’s events because of lowered levels of testosterone,” according to BBC.
Notably, as of Wednesday, British Cycling still listed Bridges as a male.
His near participation in the derby comes on the heels of transgender athlete Lia Thomas, a biological male, displacing female athletes at the NCAA Championships, even winning the 500-yard freestyle:
Lia Thomas just took first place at the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Women's Swimming & Diving Championships in the 500 freestyle. #SaveWomensSports pic.twitter.com/UWvDQMYHRJ
— Colin Wright (@SwipeWright) March 17, 2022
That prompted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to declare Emma Weyant, an Olympic silver medalist and Florida native, the true winner:
By allowing men to compete in women's sports, the NCAA is destroying opportunities for women, making a mockery of its championships, and perpetuating a fraud.
In Florida, we reject these lies and recognize Sarasota's Emma Weyant as the best women's swimmer in the 500y freestyle. pic.twitter.com/tBmFxFE3q6
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 22, 2022
The transgender debate continues to make waves across the country, becoming a central debate ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
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