A female-born skateboarded spoke out against Red Bull for allowing a transgender man to compete against her and ultimately winning.
Female skateboarder Taylor Silverman has some thoughts about losing to a male-born transgender competitor at the Red Stone Cornerstone event, where she placed second. In an Instagram post, the female skateboarding athlete lamented at how it was unfair to be placing second at several events in which she competed against biological males. At the Red Bull Cornerstone event, Silverman placed second next to transgender athlete Lilian Gallagher, who took home thousands of dollars in prize money.
In the Instagram post which screenshots were shared on Twitter by Colin Wright, Silverman detailed how the transgender man she competed was awarded $1,000 in qualifiers, $3,000 during the finals, and $1,000 for the best trick. She lamented that this totaled $5,000 "meant for the female athletes." She also disclosed that she only received $1,000 in qualifiers and $1,750 for placing second, for a total of $2,750. The third placer received $750.
"I deserve to place first, be acknowledged for my win, and get paid. I reached out to Redbull and was ignored. I am sick of being bullied into silence," Silverman declared, posting a screenshot of the email she sent to Red Bull's Senior Sports Marketing Manager Erich Dumm. The female skateboarder claims that her email was ignored.
Female Skateboarder Says Transgender Athletes Take Away Opportunities from Women
Silverman argued that by allowing a transgender man to complete with female-born athletes, Red Bull is taking away the opportunity meant for women to "place and earn money." She lamented that the female skateboarders' loss was "unfair," admitting that at the time, she was "too uncomfortable to speak up," Breitbart reported.
"I believe in doing the right thing, even if it's not the popular thing," Silverman declared, challenging Red Bull to discuss the matter with her. Unsurprisingly, the female skateboarder's post on social media was met with criticism from the left, who argued that she was being "transphobic" with her remarks, The Blaze reported. However, some took Silverman's side, urging her to push for dialogue with Red Bull over the matter.
Athletes Speak Out About Fairness When Including Trans Men in Women's Sports
Silverman's complaints about being forced to compete against a transgender man in a skateboarding compatition comes after British cyclist Nicole Cooke wrote a lengthy op-ed on the Daily Mail, where she urged sports organizations to establish a separate category of competition for transgender athletes. Cooke pointed out how "the larger average form of the male body confers an advantage" and that at the end of the day, sports must be about "competition among equals."
Cooke is not alone in her observations, as tennis icon Martina Navratilova also suggested to have an open category for all athletes and a separate category for biological females exclusively.
Related Article: Tennessee Governor Approves Ban On Transgender Athletes In Girls' Sports
