Another heated debate concerning trans athletes has taken place after a 29-year-old trans woman defeated a 13-year-old girl in a women’s skateboarding contest.
Ricci Tres is a 29-year-old skateboarding enthusiast who claimed the top prize after securing first place in Boardr Open street skateboarding competition in New York City.
According to the reports, the young lady was allowed to compete against much younger girls despite undergoing male puberty before her transition because she now identifies as a woman.
While Tres took home the grand prize of $500, the runner-up, a 13-year-old girl named Shiloh Catori, received $250. Shiloh won the top prize in the last year’s contest.
Following Ricci’s win, outraged critics accused the 29-year-old of having a physical advantage over younger competitors not only because of her age but also because her body underwent male puberty.
Defending the winner of the contest was no other than 13-year-old Shiloh who said she admires Ricci’s courage as she suggested she deserved to win.
“I’m not upset at all like at all. If anything, I’m really worried about how Ricci must be feeling. I really admire her courage. I can’t imagine how awful this must feel to see all this hate from all these people,” the girl expressed.
“Skateboarding is a wonderful sport – we accept and love everyone no matter how they choose to be identified. We’re not judgmental people.”
Not everyone, however, agreed with Shiloh’s complete acceptance of Ricci’s victory.
Lashing out at the outcome was Taylor Silverman, a fellow skateboarder who allegedly lost first place to trans competitors on several occasions.
“I have been in three different contests with trans women, two of which I placed second,” she said before adding that the winner of one of these competitions took home a total of “$5,000 of the prize money meant for female athletes.”
Silverman raged on: “I reached out to Redbull [sponsor] and was ignored. I am sick of being bullied into silence.
“What happened was unfair and at the time I was too uncomfortable to speak up. I understand that in today’s society even some women think this is acceptable, but I believe in doing the right thing even if it’s not the popular thing. I now realize it’s really important for me to speak up and I’d like to schedule a time to talk.”
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