Earlier this 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 the State of California intervened.
California Coastal Commission ruled that the competition must allow Lowerson to compete, saying that surf competitions could “not discriminate based on gender.” The decision comes as the policy from the International Surfing Association (ISA) specifically allows transgender women to compete if they meet certain criteria around testosterone levels.
Todd Messick of the American Longboard Association initially announced that Lowerson would not be allowed to participate in the women’s competition, saying that he wanted to “offer an equal playing field for all athletes.” He said that he was “surprised by the amount of anger” that his decision caused, but also said “what I found too is that there was a lot of people very appreciative of me speaking up.”
“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.
But after the State of California intervened, Lowerson will be allowed to compete in the women’s competition after all.
[BBC]
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