Pro Surfer Bethany Hamilton Blasts ‘Male-Bodied Athletes’ Competing Against Women

USA's Bethany Hamilton walks on the beach after losing her heat in the quarter finals duri
BRIAN BIELMANN/AFP via Getty
Amy Furr

Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton made her stance against men competing in women’s sports clear on Monday in a social media post.

Hamilton, who famously returned to the sport after losing her arm when she was attacked by a shark in 2003, wrote, “Male-bodied athletes should not be competing in female sports. Period”:

Social media users following her page were quick to share their thoughts on Hamilton’s message.

One person replied, “When men & boys are allowed to compete against women & girls, it completely defeats the purpose of having female categories. It’s cheating #SAVEWomensSports.”

Bethany Hamilton of Hawaii surfing in Round 2 of the 2020 Sydney Surf Pro at Manly Beach on 10 March 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt Dunbar/WSL via Getty Images)

“Sad that this even has to be said. Thank you for speaking up for female athletes,” another user wrote, while someone else said, “Thanks Bethany for saying the sky is blue. You getting hate for it is a sign of where we are.”

In February, Hamilton blasted the World Surf League’s (WSL) decision to allow men to compete against women in an effort to be more “inclusive,” according to Breitbart News:

“This concerns me as a professional athlete that has been competing in the World Surf League events for the past 15+ years,” she said. “And I feel that I must speak up and stand up for those in position that may feel that they cannot say something about this. I think many of the girls on tour are not in support of this new rule, and they fear of being ostracized if they speak up.”

Meanwhile, the Australian surfing company known as Rip Curl received criticism for hiring a biological man who is a transgender model to be one of its “female brand ambassadors,” Breitbart News reported Monday.

The company recently dropped Hamilton because she took a stand against male athletes competing as women athletes.

Rip Curl recently featured surfer Sasha Jane Lowerson, who was born a man and named Ryan Egan.

In its described him as a “West Australian waterwoman,” the outlet said.

“Lowerson is notable for having won the women’s title in 2022, only three years after winning the men’s title before having ‘transitioned’ in 2021. He remains the only person to have won both men’s and women’s longboard titles,” the Breitbart News report stated.

To read more Breitbart News articles regarding transgender athletes, please click here.

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