Museum removes female powerlifter from exhibit for criticizing middling males' participation in women's sports



Female competitive powerlifter April Hutchinson was briefly featured in a Canadian museum exhibit entitled, "Resilient London: Meet Your Neighbours." The point of the exhibit was to detail how various locals had surmounted obstacles and found joy in achievement.

Hutchinson was a natural choice for the exhibit. After all, she successfully overcame addiction, excelled as a female powerlifter, and refused to back down despite an onslaught of attacks from radical activists.

However, upon realizing that Hutchinson was critical of the invasion of women's sports by middling male athletes, Museum London in London, Ontario, wrote the female athlete out of its history.

Although upset by the removal of her feature and the museum's accompanying denunciation, Hutchinson told Reduxx she is not backing down in the fight over the integrity of her sport.

"I will not lie to myself," said Hutchinson. "I will not play charades and I will not give in to delusional thinking."

What's the background?

Blaze News previously reported that Hutchinson has been critical of transvestites leveraging their biological advantages to take trophies and award money away from real women.

One of the more egregious cases that prompted Hutchinson to speak out involved male competitor Anne Andres, whodestroyed all of his female competitors at the Canadian Powerlifting Union's 2023 Western Canadian Championship with a combined score of 1,317 pounds — 450 pounds more than the female runner-up.

Andres, who has only been identifying as a female powerlifter since 2020, has placed first in eight out of the 10 competitions he has participated in since January 2020.

Hutchinson called Andres' denigration of women and participation in women's powerlifting "disheartening." She noted in a Daily Mail op-ed that her "boyfriend could basically walk in tomorrow, identify as female, compete, and then the next day, go back to being a man again. No proof, no ID required, just basically going on how you feel that day or whatever gender you want to it."

Hutchinson figured her union might "com[e] to its senses"; however, the Canadian Powerlifting Union, acting on a complaint from Andres, recently dashed those hopes, seeking instead to shut her up.

In early October, Hutchinson appeared on "Piers Morgan Uncensored," telling the titular host the Canadian Powerlifting Union was threatening her with suspension for pointing out a transvestite was indeed a man.

— (@)

Weeks later, Hutchinson indicated on X that she received notice from the CPU indicating she faces a two-year ban for speaking out against "the unfairness of biological males being allowed to taunt female competitors & loot their winnings."

"Apparently, I have failed in my gender-role duties as 'supporting actress' in the horror show that is my sport right now," wrote Hutchinson. "Naturally, the CPU deemed MY written (private) complaint of the male bullying to be 'frivolous and vexatious.'"

Hutchinson has indicated she's appealing the suspension.

First canceled, then erased

Days after learning she was facing a multiyear ban from the CPU, Hutchinson received a letter from the executive director of the London Museum, Julie Bevan, indicating her feature was being removed from the months-long exhibit, reported Reduxx.

— (@)

The Nov. 10 letter, signed by the museum's executives, reportedly indicated the removal was prompted by Hutchinson's media appearances — where she spoke against transvestites competing in women's sports. Bevan's letter further accused Hutchinson of "denying" the existence of "transgender women" and issuing comments harmful to the "2SLGBTQI community."

The letter reportedly insinuated that Hutchinson had violated the Ontario Human Rights code, noting, "Misgendering someone intentionally is a form of discrimination."

Hutchinson told Canadian state media, "I'm highly disappointed and very hurt. My exhibit was me telling the whole world my personal struggle with alcoholism and how I beat that and I became a Team Canada powerlifter. … It had nothing to do at all with transgenders."

"The museum is basically telling women they don't care about us. Our safety or our sports. It's absolutely wrong," Hutchinson explained to Reduxx. "I am standing for truth and saying the things that 99% of society thinks. I will not lie to myself. I will not play charades and I will not give in to delusional thinking."

Stevie Bees, a female transvestite featured in the exhibit, celebrated the museum's decision on Meta, writing, "I am EXTREMELY proud to be on that wall and I also want everyone to know that Trans Women ARE Women! April Hutchinson SHOULD be deplatformed for spouting garbage like this."

Museum London's head of marketing, Linda O'Connor, told Canadian state media, "We have no further comment on this. We take seriously our responsibility to uphold our values, promote inclusion and ensure dignity for our team, our contributors, and our audiences."

The leftist efforts to cancel Hutchinson do not appear to have shaken her resolve.

"Women need and deserve their own sports. The female category has always been protected," she said. "Women are fighting back and we will send a strong message: Bodies play sports, not identities."

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10 Sports That Put Cross-Dressing Men Ahead Of Women’s Fair Play

Here are 10 of the most prominent individual women’s competitions men have co-opted.

'New Zealand's Strongest Man' enters women's powerlifting competition to protest its transgender policy, forcing organizers to change the rules overnight



A male weightlifter once dubbed "New Zealand's Strongest Man" applied last week to compete in a women's powerlifting competition. His intention was not to defeat women in the sport, but rather to discredit the notion that biological men don't have a physiological advantage over their female peers — an advantage which male transsexuals appear keen to simultaneously exploit and deny.

Global Powerlifting Committee New Zealand has since denied Dale Shepherd's application, adopting new rules over the weekend that will preclude him from taking the stage to make his point.

While Shepherd suggests the new rules are similarly "deficient," it appears that with his controversial application, he may have forced a shift in the right direction without having to break a sweat.

A weighty concern

Some middling male athletes have transitioned over to women's sports in recent years, ostensibly in hopes of leveraging their sex-specific biological advantages to displace female athletes, thereby securing prize money, sponsorships, and other spoils.

Perceiving this trend to be unfair and unsportsmanlike, a number of men in the world of weightlifting have taken action.

Dale Shepherd, 52, is one of a handful of men to protest gender identification policies and make a mockery of the trend of noncompetitive men seeking to try their odds against women.

The British rapper Nzube Olisaebuka Udezue, whose stage name is Zuby, did so in 2019.

The Times reported that Zuby, an Oxford graduate, beat the British women's deadlift record as well as the bench lift record, then joked that the stunt was "strong, stunning and brave."

Zuby said his protest "struck a nerve," demonstrating "the fallacies of the arguments on the other side."

"I have seen people saying there is no inherent biological strength difference between men and women. I posted it being a bit tongue-in-cheek, showing what I think is the obvious absurdity of their argument," said the British rapper.

\u201cI keep hearing about how biological men don't have any physical strength advantage over women in 2019...\n\nSo watch me DESTROY the British Women's deadlift record without trying.\n\nP.S. I identified as a woman whilst lifting the weight. Don't be a bigot. \ud83d\ude02\u201d
— ZUBY: (@ZUBY:) 1551178515

TheBlaze recently reported that Avi Silverberg, former head coach for Team Canada Powerlifting, temporarily identified as a female on March 25 and demolished the women's record set by a male transsexual, Ann Andres, at the the Heroes Classic Powerlifting Meet in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Silverberg exploited the same gender policy as Andres had, then tested the transsexual athlete's record with him watching. Not only did the male coach beat Andres' record, he cleared it by nearly 100 pounds. Andres had previously lifted 275 pounds. Silverberg casually pressed 370 pounds.

\u201cA male powerlifting coach self-identified as a woman and broke a women's benchpress record in protest of gender self-identification in sport.\n\nAvi Silverberg performed the defiant act while the current record holder, a transgender male, watched.\n\nREAD: https://t.co/MXiyiGMgWQ\u201d
— REDUXX (@REDUXX) 1680023763

The Independent Council on Women’s Sports told the feminist publication Reduxx, "What Avi so obviously points out is that policies allowing men access to women’s sports completely remove any integrity in women’s competitions."

Another Anglo nation, another lesson to be learned

Reduxx reported that Dale Shepherd has been lifting weights for over forty years. In his time competing against other men, he claimed roughly two dozen national records and held the "All Time Deadlift World Record" for nearly six years. In 2010, he won the title of "New Zealand's Strongest Man" and claimed four top spots at the 2022 Nationals.

Shepherd endeavored to mount a protest, entering to participate in the women's category for the June Global Powerlifting New Zealand Day of the Deadlifts competition.

"I identify as a woman for this contest," Shepherd declared on his entry form.

He told Reduxx, "It is important to me that both transgender athletes and biological women both have the ability to compete in sports.

"However, regardless of hormone treatment such as giving a biological male estrogen – the hormone primarily responsible for female characteristics – it does not totally negate all the years that male has had with higher testosterone levels resulting in greater bone density, tendon and muscle strength. As such biological women are at a significant disadvantage."

"To maintain equity and preserve women’s sports, transgenders and biological women must have their own separate classes or eventually all women’s sports will be overtaken by biological men who now identify as a woman," Shepherd added.

According to Reduxx, the women's rights group Save Women's Sports Australasia hyped Shepherd's protests with an April 14 tweet.

\u201cDale weighs 118kg and has held the title of New Zealand\u2019s strongest man for six years. Thanks to the @nzlabour govt, #SexSelfID comes into force in NZ on 15 June when Dale will be self-identifying as a woman in time for the Global Powerlifting Committee (GPC) 1/2\u201d
— Save Women\u2019s Sports Australasia (@Save Women\u2019s Sports Australasia) 1681439275

Exposing folly and forcing a change

After this tweet made its rounds, the Global Powerlifting Committee New Zealand reportedly grew wise to the scheme and launched a desperate campaign to block Shepherd's entry.
The GPCNZ updated its website and rules just after he submitted his application, but maintained that "it is necessary to ensure that transgendered athletes are not excluded from the opportunity to participate in sporting competition, and are celebrated in the spirit of competitiveness and inclusiveness."

Whereas the GPCNZ's rules archived before the last-minute changes deferred greatly to entrants' gender self-identification, the new rules specified that male transsexuals must have "declared that her gender identity is female. The declaration cannot be changed, for sporting purposes, for a minimum of four years."

Additionally, per the new rules, male transsexuals "must have undergone hormone treatment (if medically indicated) for at least 12 months prior to her first competition."

The rules specify further that "transgendered people who are not taking hormones ... will go under complete confidential review."

Stuff reported that GPCNZ spokesman and trustee Greg Turrell had spoken with Shepherd about his entry.

"I've clarified the rules with Dale. He is ineligible," said Turrell. "[But] there is provision for transgender women to compete in powerlifting as a whole."

While the GPCNZ's expedited adoption of the new criteria may make it harder for men to quickly make the crossover into women's powerlifting, those dead set on deadlifting among women may only need to avoid telegraphing their intentions as Shepherd had.

Turrell nevertheless admitted, "We need to balance the desire to be inclusive but protect the integrity of women's powerlifting."

Here is Shepherd crushing a 310 kg squat, a 207.5 kg bench press, and a 352.5 kg deadlift in 2017:

Dale Shepherd - NZs Heaviest Raw Deadlift & M2 IPL World Record U110kg Bench & Deadlift youtu.be

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Laurel Hubbard Fails Tokyo Olympics Medal Attempt

Laurel Hubbard Fails Tokyo Olympics Medal Attempt

Transgender woman weightlifter Laurel Hubbard in Olympics is 'like a bad joke' to biological female athletes, competitor complains



Transgender woman weightlifter Laurel Hubbard competing in the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games is "like a bad joke" to biological female athletes, a rival weightlifter told Inside the Games.

What are the details?

"First off, I would like to stress that I fully support the transgender community, and that what I'm about to say doesn't come from a place of rejection of this athlete's identity," weightlifter Anna Van Bellinghen of Belgium told the sports website.

But she soon added that "anyone that has trained weightlifting at a high level knows this to be true in their bones: this particular situation is unfair to the sport and to the athletes," Inside the Games said.

Van Bellinghen, 27, is looking to qualify in the same weight category as New Zealand's Hubbard — the over-87-kilogram super-heavyweights — and is directly affected by the presence of Hubbard, who's set to become the first openly transgender athlete to qualify for the Olympics in any sport, the website reported.

Hubbard, 43 — a biological male who identifies as female and has competed against women for several years — began transitioning to female at age 35.

It would seem Van Bellinghen's complaints about Hubbard go against the wishes of the powers that be, who allegedly want those who disagree with Hubbard's presence to be quiet about their concerns — but she went for the jugular anyway.

Van Bellinghen pointed out to Inside the Games that it's widely known athletes can retain the benefit of taking steroids even years earlier — so therefore "why is it still a question whether two decades, from puberty to the age of 35, with the hormonal system of a man also would give an advantage [in competing against women]? I understand that for sports authorities nothing is as simple as following your common sense, and that there are a lot of impracticalities when studying such a rare phenomenon, but for athletes the whole thing feels like a bad joke."

She added to the sports website that Hubbard's presence means "life-changing opportunities are missed for some athletes — medals and Olympic qualifications — and we are powerless. Of course, this debate is taking place in a broader context of discrimination against transgender people, and that is why the question is never free of ideology. However, the extreme nature of this particular situation really demonstrates the need to set up a stricter legal framework for transgender inclusion in sports, and especially elite sports. Because I do believe that everyone should have access to sports, but not at the expense of others."

Anything else?

Hubbard made a splash in 2017 after winning two silver medals in a women's world championship — and then in 2019 took home two gold medals and a silver medal in the women's competition at the Pacific Games in Samoa.

In 2015, IOC guidelines ruled that transgender athletes can compete as women if their testosterone levels are below 10 nanomoles per liter for at least 12 months before their first competition, Reuters reported.

But numerous scientists have criticized these guidelines, saying they do little to mitigate the biological advantages of those who have gone through puberty as males, including bone and muscle density, Australia's 7 News reported.

Here's Hubbard in action in early 2020:

🏆Laurel Hubbard Gold Medal (NZL) 126-144 Weightlifting World Cup Roma 2020youtu.be

Female weightlifters allegedly told to 'be quiet' when they complain about transgender woman Laurel Hubbard competing against them



On the heels of the news that New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard — a biological male who identifies and competes as a female — is set to become the first-ever transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics, it appears some biological female athletes are none too pleased.

And their concerns apparently don't just fall on deaf ears; allegedly they're told to shut up about the unfairness of it all.

What are the details?

Former Olympic weightlifter Tracey Lambrechs said in regard to Hubbard, "We're all about equality for women in sport, but right now that equality is being taken away from us. I've had female weightlifters come up to me and say, 'What do we do? This isn't fair, what do we do?' Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do because every time we voice it, we get told to be quiet," Australia's 7 News reported.

Lambrechs — who won a bronze medal for New Zealand at the 2014 Commonwealth Games — added that she's "quite disappointed, quite disappointed for the female athlete who will lose out on that spot," the station reported, citing TVNZ.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee isn't expected to name its weightlifting team until June, but 7 News reported that the country's Olympic weightlifting coach Simon Kent said the 43-year-old Hubbard has met the current criteria.

"The rules are in place, that's the playing field we're playing in, so that's how we're going to move forward," Kent said, according to the outlet, which cited TVNZ.

What's the background?

Hubbard — who lived as a male for 35 years — transitioned to female in 2012 and began winning competitions several years later.

Hubbard made a splash in 2017 after winning two silver medals in a women's world championship — and then in 2019 took home two gold medals and a silver medal in the women's competition at the Pacific Games in Samoa.

In 2015, IOC guidelines ruled that transgender athletes can compete as women if their testosterone levels are below 10 nanomoles per liter for at least 12 months before their first competition, Reuters reported.

But numerous scientists have criticized these guidelines, saying they do little to mitigate the biological advantages of those who have gone through puberty as males, including bone and muscle density, 7 News reported.

Here's Hubbard in action in early 2020:

🏆Laurel Hubbard Gold Medal (NZL) 126-144 Weightlifting World Cup Roma 2020youtu.be

Anything else?

Australia's weightlifting federation tried blocking Hubbard from the 2018 Commonwealth Games, 7 News added, but organizers rejected the move. The outlet added that rival weightlifters and coaches at the Commonwealth Games also complained.

Hubbard suffered a ruptured elbow ligament while attempting a 291-pound lift at the 2018 event while Lambrechs finished fifth.

Lambrechs won bronze at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and 7 News said she finished 13th in the lower weight division at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Biological male weightlifter who identifies as female and competes against women poised to become first transgender Olympian



Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard — a biological male who identifies as female and has competed against women for several years — is poised to become the first-ever transgender athlete to compete in the Olympic Games, Inside the Games reported.

What are the details?

The outlet said the New Zealander has been "effectively guaranteed a place at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after the approval of an amended qualifying system by the International Olympic Committee."

Since so many Olympic-qualifying competitions had been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IOC devised a new system reducing the number of competition performances needed for qualification, Inside the Games said.

Hubbard's best qualifying total is 285 kilograms, the outlet said — which is a bit over 628 pounds — and that puts the weightlifter "very much in the reckoning for a place on the podium in the women's super-heavyweights in Tokyo."

Inside the Games said only three athletes will have higher qualifying totals when the entries are named — and while Hubbard is ranked 16th, at least six weightlifters ranked higher won't be attending the Olympics for various reasons.

Hubbard, 43, will be the oldest weightlifter at Tokyo, the outlet said. CNN reported, however, that Hubbard has not been named yet to the national women's weightlifting team going to the Games.

What's the background?

Hubbard lived as a male for 35 years and never made it into international weightlifting, Inside the Games noted, adding that Hubbard transitioned in 2012 and then began winning several years later.

Hubbard made a splash in 2017 after winning two silver medals in a women's world championship — and then in 2019 took home two gold medals and a silver medal in the women's competition at the Pacific Games in Samoa.

Hubbard suffered a ruptured elbow ligament while attempting a 291-pound lift at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and — while later saying the injury was career-ending — managed to recover.

Here's Hubbard speaking about competing as a transgender woman:

Transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard asks critics to 'treat people like me with respect'youtu.be

Controversy

Following Hubbard's 2019 medal-winning performances, a women's rights group called on New Zealand's Olympic committee to "defend women's sport."

"Kiwis [New Zealanders] know that males competing in women's sport is blatantly unfair," according to Ani O'Brien of New Zealand lobby group "Speak Up for Women," which wants athletic competition categorized by biological sex rather than gender identity, Reuters reported.

"As a nation we pride ourselves on being good sports, and going into the Olympics next year this is not a good look," O'Brien added, Australia's ABC News reported.

The sentiment was similar to others soon after Hubbard began competing against women.

"We're in a power sport which is normally related to masculine tendencies ... where you've got that aggression, you've got the right hormones, then you can lift bigger weights," Australian Weightlifting Federation chief executive Michael Keelan told Fox Sports in 2017, adding that Hubbard's presence creates an "uneven playing field."

But Simon Kent, high performance manager of Olympic Weightlifting New Zealand, told Radio Sport there's no right or wrong about Hubbard competing as a woman: "This is a tremendously complex issue that isn't as simple as what people are perceiving when they see Laurel compete."

In 2015, IOC guidelines ruled that transgender athletes can compete as women if their testosterone levels are below 10 nanomoles per liter for at least 12 months before their first competition, Reuters said.

Here's Hubbard in action from early 2020:

🏆Laurel Hubbard Gold Medal (NZL) 126-144 Weightlifting World Cup Roma 2020youtu.be