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The World Surf League recently announced its new policy for transgender athletes and American professional surfer Bethany Hamilton took to her social media account on February 5 to share her thoughts on the same. She was seen asking a series of questions about the league's new policy and announced her boycott if the rules are not changed.
Her statements started a controversy online, as several individuals took to social media to criticize her for her video and deemed her as being transphobic.
"I personally won’t be competing" - Bethany Hamilton on World Surf League's new policy
On February 3, the World Surf League announced its new policy for transgender individuals. They stated that trans female contestants need to maintain a testosterone level of less than five nanomoles per liter for at least a year to compete in the women's division.
Reacting to the same, Hamilton took to Instagram to share a video in which she said:
"Today I want to address the news that the World Surf League has officially made the rule that male-bodied individuals known as transgender athletes can officially compete in the women’s division. This concerns me as a professional athlete that has been competing in World Surf League events for the past 15 plus years."
She continued:
“Is a hormone level an honest and accurate depiction that someone indeed is a male or female? Is it as simple as this? I personally won’t be competing in or supporting the World Surf League if this rule remains.”
She also suggested that there should be a separate division for trans individuals to compete in these sports.
She mentioned:
“I personally think that the best solution would be to create a different division so that all can have a fair opportunity to showcase their passion and talent.”
This policy, which was proposed by the International Surfing Association and is reviewed yearly, was developed in accordance with the organization's medical commission's recommendations.
Netizens react to Bethany Hamilton's video
After Bethany Hamilton's video threatening to boycott the World Surf League if its new policy isn't changed went viral, the Twitterati deemed her as transphobic. Several users could not believe that Hamilton was against the new policy on allowing trans women to compete in sports.
The World Surf League released a statement after Bethany Hamilton's announcement
On February 6, The World Surf League released a statement explaining that its rules are intended to be similar to those in Olympic competitions.
They said:
"As an Olympic sport, and with aspirations for all of WSL's disciplines to be included in the Olympics, the WSL has adopted the International Surfing Association (ISA) policy on transgender participation."
Moreover, the organization said that it is working to balance "fairness" and "equity," and will continue to evaluate the policy in the coming years and months.
Hamilton is a devoted Christian and has said that her faith helped her recover after a shark attack she was involved in at the age of 13. Since the attack, she has continued to work as a professional surfer, and Rip Curl has been sponsoring her for a long time.
As per her WSL bio, Bethany Hamilton has been competing in the league since 2008 and ranked in the 20th position during the 2022 season of the Women's Championship Tour.
