Chloie Jonnson, an athlete training to compete in Reebok’s Crossfit Games, was denied entrance into competition because she was not born female.
When Chloie Jonnson received a letter from Crossfit Headquarters stating that she could not compete in Reebok’s Crossfit Games, the athlete took control of the situation by disputing the judgement, which has escalated into a lawsuit against the organization.
According to CNN, Chloie Jonsson charges CrossFit with discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and unfair competition in a lawsuit filed Thursday, March 6, in Santa Cruz, California. The Hollywood Report quotes Jonsoon as saying that Crossfit is “violating her civil rights for making her compete as a man … when she is now a woman.”
TMZ Sports obtained a letter from CrossFit to Chloie — “We have simply ruled that based upon being born as a male, she will need to compete in the Men’s Division.”
Crossfit’s reasoning for the judgement reads, “the fundamental, ineluctable fact is that a male competitor who has a sex reassignment procedure still has a genetic makeup that confers a physical and physiological advantage over women.”
TMZ quotes the letter as Crossfit saying, “Our decision has nothing to do with ‘ignorance’ or being bigots — it has to do with a very real understanding of the human genome, of fundamental biology, that you are either intentionally ignoring or missed in high school.”
(TMZ)
There are many opinions on TMZ’s article. Many of the comments accept Crossfit’s determination, while few provide an understanding of transitioning and athleticism. This comment by Glitch states that Jonnson would be physiologically disadvantaged in competition. This contrasts Crossfit’s determination that she would be at an unfair advantage.
(Women’s Sports Foundation)
Women’s Sports Foundation determined that male-to-female athletes do not have an advantage over cis athletes. Citing medical professionals, the foundation found “that the effects of taking female hormones negates any strength and muscular advantage that testosterone may have provided.”
The decision to ban Jonnson from Reebok’s Crossfit Games has community leaders ready to take action. One such leader is RyanLi Dahlstrom, a crossfitter and activist, describes Crossfit’s decision as, “discriminatory, unethical, and founded on a lack of accurate information about transgender athletes and transgender issues.”
“I would like to see Crossfit reverse their decision in order to be a more inclusive space and join the likes of the IOC, NCAA, and MMA of CA in fully sup porting transgender people’s participation.” – Dahlstrom
Dahlstrom is co-leading an online petition on Change.org for Crossfit headquarters to reverse it’s decision for Jonnson to compete. Dahlstrom urges, “please sign this petition to help move one step closer to ending discrimination.” The petition has 135 supporters and needs another 65 signatures.
This move by Crossfit is also different from the decision made by the International Olympic Committee, which in 2004 ruled to allow transgender athletes to compete after completing gender affirmation surgery.
What is Crossfit?
CrossFit begins with a belief in fitness. The aim of CrossFit is to forge a broad, general and inclusive fitness. We have sought to build a program that will best prepare trainees for any physical contingency — not only for the unknown, but for the unknowable. After looking at all sport and physical tasks collectively, we asked what physical skills and adaptations would most universally lend themselves to performance advantage. Capacity culled from the intersection of all sports demands would quite logically lend itself well to all sport. In sum, our specialty is not specializing. – Crossfit
The CrossFit Games are the world’s premier test to find the Fittest on Earth™. They are world-renowned as a grueling test for the world’s toughest athletes and a thrilling experience for spectators. Since its inception in 2007, the CrossFit Games have become “one of the fastest growing sports in America,” according to Forbes. – Crossfit Games
If the games limit competition of transgender athletes, are they truly in searching for the “Fittest on Earth?”