A controversy has erupted within the cycling community as a group of female cyclists accuses USA Cycling of "deception" regarding the participation of a transgender competitor in a women's championship event in Wisconsin.
The dispute centers on Kate Phillips, a transgender athlete who emerged victorious at the Lyons Masters National Championships, sparking discontent among fellow competitors.
The presence of Phillips, originally named James Phillips, on the winner's podium was met with resistance from some female cyclists who declined to stand alongside Phillips. Veteran cyclist Julie Peterson expressed her frustration to Fox News, stating, "You could clearly see the power that he had. If I had known, I wouldnt have spent thousands of dollars on travel and time off work to come and do a race."
Peterson further recounted an incident where she was reprimanded for referring to Phillips as a man, saying, "I said, I dont want to race against a man, and they quickly scolded me and said Oh, you cant call him a man, and Im like Well, he is a man, so I was quickly scolded and corrected that it is a woman and I dont even know what to say."
As reported by Breitbart, cyclist Debbie Milne echoed Peterson's sentiments, alleging that USA Cycling deliberately concealed Phillips' transgender status from the competitors. Milne told Fox News, "It was hidden from us," and accused the organization of engaging in "deception."
She criticized race officials for failing to disclose that Phillips was a man identifying as a woman, adding, "Basically, we came to compete and we found out, during the race, after the race, thats when we found out that there had been another competitor we thought just added." Milne lamented the lack of transparency, stating, "There hasnt been transparency there."
Despite the growing discontent among female athletes, USA Cycling continues to uphold its policy permitting transgender athletes to compete in women's events. This stance persists even as other sports organizations are reevaluating their rules, with some opting to prohibit biological males from participating in women's sports or implementing stricter eligibility criteria.
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