The topic of transgender athletes participating in women’s sports has been a highly debated topic across the country as of late. And on Friday, professional surfer Bethany Hamilton offered her opinion on the matter.
Hamilton took to social media to voice her frustrations with the California state laws that allow transgender athletes born a male to compete in their identified gender against females.
California state law allows for males in female surfing events. This is not fair game. I do not support this.
— Bethany Hamilton (@bethanyhamilton) May 10, 2024
The topic has been heavily discussed in the state of California when it comes to professional surfing, particularly because there is some controversy surrounding the inaugural Huntington Beach Longboard Pro in California this weekend.
According to Fox News, the event’s organizers were forced to reverse their stance on transgender athletes or risk having the event canceled. Their previous stance was to have biologically born males and biologically born females competing in the division that they were born to.
This does not comply with the state of California’s current laws on the matter, particularly the Coastal Act passed in the state that deems that an event can be shut down if transgender female athletes are not allowed to compete in the female divisions of their respective sport.
It will be interesting to see whether Hamilton’s opinion on the matter holds any weight in the eyes of decision-makers in the state of California, particularly because she is one of the biggest names in the sport.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.