Canadian Powerlifter Faces Two-Year Ban for Speaking Out Against Transgender Rival Who Mocked Female Competitors

Canadian powerlifter April Hutchinson faces two-year ban for speaking out against transgender rival

April Hutchinson, a Canadian powerlifter, is facing a two-year ban from the sport for speaking out against transgender rival Anne Andres.

Andres, a transgender woman, broke the Canadian women’s national record in August, sparking backlash from Hutchinson.

Hutchinson appeared on TalkTV’s Piers Morgan Uncensored to condemn Andres’ victory as unfair.

“It’s been very disheartening, that national record that he broke athletes have been chasing that for years,” she said.

“It just goes to show the physical advantages that a male has over a female.”

In response, the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU) says it has recommended that Hutchinson be suspended for two years.

Hutchinson tweeted that she was being suspended for “speaking publicly about the unfairness of biological males being allowed to taunt female competitors and loot their winnings.”

Hutchinson has been campaigning against transgender athletes’ inclusion in biological female categories for about a year.

She says she will continue speaking out against what she sees as an unfair advantage for transgender athletes.

Transgender athlete Anne Andres has been criticized for mocking female competitors

Andres has been criticized for appearing to mock female competitors and asking why they are “so bad” at bench pressing in comparison.

In a viral social media video, Andres began: “Why is women’s bench press so bad? I mean not compared to me, we all know that I’m a tranny freak so that doesn’t count… I mean standard bench for women in competition, I literally don’t understand why it’s so bad.”

Andres even characterized a female rival as having “little T-Rex arms.”

Hutchinson wrote in DailyMail.com in August that Andres was “taking to social media to mock females, to belittle us as weak, to rub it in our faces.”

Debate over transgender inclusion in sports is raging

The issue of transgender inclusion in sports was thrust into the spotlight when trans swimmer Lia Thomas became an NCAA champion in March 2022.

Debate has raged ever since.

Some experts argue that transgender athletes have an unfair advantage due to the physical benefits of male puberty.

Others argue that transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in the category that matches their gender identity.

The debate is complex and there is no easy answer.

It is important to weigh the rights of all athletes involved and to ensure that everyone has a fair chance to compete.