‘They invalidated my gender and my identity’: Transgender powerlifter on decision to annul records
Mary Gregory, a transgender powerlifter who was stripped of the records after a doping test revealed she “was actually a male,” has complained of discrimination stating that her “gender and identity” were invalidated.
The 44-year-old US athlete said that her record-breaking performance at a local powerlifting competition and further cancellation of the victory had a negative effect on her after the news circulated widely on social media.
“I honestly think that the only reason they decided to take the actions they took was because of all the negative attention that it got. I mean, because there were so many people that just don’t understand,” Gregory said.
“I felt like they were invalidating my gender and my identity,” added the athlete.
Taking part in a local powerlifting event as a female competitor, Gregory broke four women’s world records during the competition in the squat, bench press and deadlift disciplines as well as the total record in her weight class.
However, the results were annulled three days later after an obligatory doping test proved that the athlete “was actually a male in the process of becoming a transgender female.”
The Raw Powerlifting Federation said in a statement that the organization recognizes “physiological classification rather than identification,” adding that, after reviewing the test, “the conclusion made, is that the correct physiological classification is male.”
The federation’s plan to introduce a special transgender category in the future didn’t inspire Gregory, who found the idea discriminatory and segregating.
“It segregates us,” said Gregory. “I think it’s discrimination. It’s not that different than having a category for tall people or for African Americans or for Hispanics.”
