Last month, the American Longboard Association tried to ban transgender surfer Sasha Jane Lowerson from competing against other women at the Huntington Beach Longboard Pro. But it sounds like Lowerson will be allowed to compete, after all.
While Todd Messick of the American Longboard Association initially announced that Lowerson would not be allowed to participate in the women’s competition in order to “offer an equal playing field for all athletes,” that decision was found to be in violation of the International Surfing Association (ISA) policy and California state law.
Last year, the ISA revealed a policy that specifically allows transgender women to compete if they meet certain criteria around testosterone levels, which Lowerson did. Additionally, the California Coastal Commission has determined that Lowerson must be allowed to compete in the competition or it would be in violation of state law, saying that surf competitions could “not discriminate based on gender.”
Messick claimed that he was simply trying to do the right thing by banning Lowerson from the competition.
“For me, I was trying to do the right thing. It wasn’t something I ever expected to have to deal with really, not in our little longboard community,” Messick said during an interview with the BBC.
However, California ruled that discrimination by gender is, in fact, not the right thing. As a result, Lowerson will be allowed to compete.
[BBC]
