Remember the young surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack? 21 years later she’s fighting to protect women’s sports



A promising young surfer, then 13-year-old Bethany Hamilton’s world was turned upside down when she lost her arm in a shark attack. On “Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey,” Bethany detailed how her family’s faith in God helped her through these troubling times:

“My dad worked really hard — like two to three jobs at a time, so we had a really simple childhood. But they gave me so much. They gave me so much time, and they gave me my faith in God. ... And so, when I lost my arm, it was almost like I was ready, because my mom had raised me in my faith, she would pray with me, she read the Bible to me at bedtime, we went to church ... and so, when chaos hit, I was ready.”

She also explained how she had to relearn surfing and what drove her to get back in the water just 21 days later:

“For me, surfing was more than just a childhood hobby. I feel like it was a way of life and culture and art and sport.”

Bethany said the physical journey was actually pretty easy, but it took a while for her to regain her confidence while surfing and figure out how to do things differently with just one arm — what she calls “Bethany’s version” of surfing. She also explained how frustrating it was to figure out how to do life with just one arm but that her faith in God and His plan for her life kept her going.

She discussed meeting her husband, motherhood, and even surfing while pregnant. According to Bethany, there are certain waves that are better while pregnant, and she surfed well into all her pregnancies, which is apparently commonplace in Hawaii.

Bethany has also been an outspoken advocate for the protection of women’s sports and explained her choice to speak out against biological men in women’s sports, specifically the World Surf League’s rule allowing males to compete against females:

“I feel like, too, a lot of it’s just such an interesting thing, because I feel like if women just said no, this wouldn’t be an issue. If all the female surfers — if the 70% that disagree with [the rule], if they all said no, then the World Surf League would not have an option.”

In the full episode, Bethany dives deeper into her faith, becoming well-known, and her partnership with pro-life diaper brand, EveryLife.

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Mother of Manhattan teen who died 'subway surfing' files lawsuit, pinning blame on MTA and social media companies



The mother of a Manhattan teen who died while "surfing" a New York City subway train last year has filed a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, TikTok, and Instagram's parent company, Meta, suggesting they had a hand in her son's untimely demise.

"Social media and the MTA, they failed my son," Norma Nazario told WABC-TV.

Three months after a 15-year-old boy died while unlawfully surfing on a Brooklyn train, Zackery Nazario, also 15, climbed onto a New York City subway car headed for a similar tragedy.

A low beam struck Nazario in the head while he was traversing the Williamsburg Bridge atop the train on Feb. 20, 2023. He fell onto the tracks below and was run over.

The illegal practice of subway surfing has grown in popularity among youths in recent years. Reported incidents spiked from 206 in 2021 to 928 in 2022. The trend continued last year, claiming the lives of Zackery and at least four others. WNBC-TV indicated that between January and June 2023 alone, the MTA documented over 450 instances of subway surfing.

Already in 2024, there have been multiple deaths connected to subway surfing attempts.

After a teenager died in Brooklyn last month riding outside the train, Richard Davey, president of New York City Transit, reiterated, "Subway surfing kills. Another innocent life has been lost, and it should not happen," reported the New York Times.

According to Norma Nazario's lawsuit, filed in the Manhattan Supreme Court on the anniversary of her son's death, the MTA failed to provide adequate barriers to preclude youths from climbing on its trains, "creating a serious and foreseeable risk of harm," reported the New York Post. The suit also faults the system for apparently not locking train doors.

The lawsuit further alleges that social media companies bear some responsibility for Zackery's death, having supposedly "goaded" him into attempting the stunt by recommending videos of others performing the feat.

According to the suit, TikTok and Instagram are liable under state laws prohibiting the "unreasonably dangerous" design of products, having allegedly "targeted, goaded and encouraged" Zackery to subway surf.

This enticement allegedly took the form of a video recommendation to Zackery about the "Subway Surfing Challenge" prior to his fatal subway surfing attempt.

"What happened to Zackery was neither an accident or a coincidence," Matthew Bergman, the co-founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center and legal representative for the Nazario family, told the Post. "It was a foreseeable result of social media companies' intentional decision to design their products to be addictive to young people.

So-called surfers and witnesses routinely post videos of the dangerous stunts to social media.

— (@)

After Zackery's death, Janno Lieber, chair and CEO of the MTA, indicated that his organization had previously pressured social media companies about platforming videos showcasing subway surfing but would nevertheless double down on such efforts, reported The City.

"We're going to renew it again; this is something nobody wants to see," said Lieber. "A 15-year-old kid just breaks your heart, so we've got to keep pushing."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams drew attention to Zackery's fate and the dangers of subway surfing in June 2023, stressing, "Social media must be socially responsible. Subway Surfing kills. We need everyone to be a part of ending this dangerous threat."

— (@)

City and state officials kicked off the "Subway Surfing Kills — Ride Inside, Stay Alive" campaign in September, warning minors about the hazards of flouting law and convention in pursuit of train-related thrills, posting cautionary signs throughout the transit systems and broadcasting similar warnings.

In addition to the alerts, police have reportedly stationed after-school patrols on subway lines identified as being high risks for subway surfing. The Times indicated the patrols have so far stopped roughly 11 attempts a month.

Norma Nazario, seeking unspecified damages from the MTA and the social media companies, told the Post, "They could give me a billion dollars and I'm not going to stop."

"I'm not going to stop until the MTA and these social media companies start taking responsibility and stop killing our children," added Nazario.

It appears the Nazario family and their legal representative are not displacing the entirety of the blame for the tragedy.

"Zackery has some responsibility too," Bergman told WABC. "No one is saying that there was not shared fault here, but what we are saying is that this didn't have to happen."

While the MTA did not respond to the Post's request for comment, NYC Transit President Richard Davey said in a statement, "We've said it over and over — do not climb on top of trains because that won't end well, and we implore parents to tell their children and friends to warn friends — avoid tragedy by riding inside."

WABC indicated TikTok and Instagram have reportedly not yet commented on the lawsuit.

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There’s Nothing Controversial About Bethany Hamilton’s Stand For Women’s Sports

Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton announced she will not participate in the World Surf League if it allows men to compete in the women’s division.

Transgender surfer trounces female competitors in surfing contest in Australia



Transgender surfer Sasha Jane Lowerson, a biological male, recently defeated female competitors at the West Coast Suspensions Longboard and Logger State Championships in Australia.

Lowerson took first place in the Open Women's Longboard and Open Women's Logger divisions, according to Surfing WA.

The transgender surfer trounced the competition, scoring 14.70 in the Open Women's Longboard, compared to the second-place finisher's score of just 10.63 — likewise, Lowerson's 13.97 in the Open Women's Logger dwarfed the runner up's 11.37.

"To be the first transgender woman competing in surfing hasn’t been an easy ride emotionally but the amount of support I’ve been showed has been phenomenal and I’m so grateful to be involved, welcomed and embraced within the longboard community in Australia," Lowerson said, according to Surfing WA.

"It was an amazing experience, with great waves. I surfed an amazing, perfect point break with three other women," Lowerson said, according to the Inertia.

In the past, Lowerson had competed in men's surfing as Ryan Egan. Lowerson began "a medical transition" at the beginning of 2021, the surfer said on a podcast.

"Well, it wasn’t the first event I’ve competed in as a female," Lowerson said, according to the Inertia. "I competed in the Noosa Festival of Surfing in March. So that was technically the first time a trans athlete had ever competed in surfing. And there was no hoo haa then, because there was nothing to talk about. I came 10th. I was surfing against some of the best longboard women in the world, and they schooled me.

"With this event, though, I was a bigger fish in a smaller pond, and there are going to be naysayers as soon as you win one. Unfortunately, when a trans athlete is successful a lot of people want to jump up and down. But there are also a lot of people that want to celebrate it, which is a positive thing," Lowerson said.

Taylor Silverman, a female skateboarder, recently spoke out about losing to a transgender competitor.

Lia Thomas, a biological male who swam for the University of Pennsylvania's women's team, previously made headlines while winning various competitions against female competitors.

"The very simple answer is that I’m not a man," Thomas told Sports Illustrated. "I'm a woman, so I belong on the women’s team. Trans people deserve that same respect every other athlete gets."

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Watch: Lifeguard Arrested, Led Away in Handcuffs by Hazmat Cops for 'Surfing with Coronavirus'

Police officers -- dressed head-to-toe in hazmat suits -- frogmarched a young woman up a beach in handcuffs.