Last Updated on June 27, 2022
A 29-year-old male-to-female transgender skater recently beat a 13-year-old girl in a women’s skateboarding competition. At 29, the transgender male was the oldest competitor participating in the New York-based tournament.
Ricci Tres of Los Angeles, a biological male, won the women’s division of the Boardr Open skateboarding competition. The 29-year-old took home the top prize of $500 while Shiloh Catori, a 13-year-old girl from Florida, placed second. Catori ultimately took home a $250 prize.
Four of the six finalists were under the age of 17, with the youngest being 10-year-old Juri Iikura, who placed fifth. The transgender skater was the competition’s oldest contestant at 29.
The outcome has been heavily criticized with many asking why tournament organizers would allow a grown man to compete against girls half his age.
Taylor Silverman, a female skateboarder who lost to a transgender individual in a tournament earlier this year, criticized the results in an Instagram post.
“Male wins women’s finals and money at Boardr Open NYC presented by DC today. My story is not unique in skateboarding,” Silverman wrote.
Taylor Silverman was forced to settle for second place after losing to a transgender male at a skateboarding competition in March. The female athlete was ultimately robbed of $5,000 in prize money at the Redbull Cornerstone, which according to Silverman, was not the first time she was robbed by a transgender athlete.
A number of states have barred biological males from competing in women’s sports, including Oklahoma, Florida and Utah among a growing list of others.
Democrats have attempted to grant the practice federal civil rights protections with the “Equality Act,” however. The bill passed in the House but is not expected to navigate the Senate this term.
Biological men competing in women’s sports has ignited national controversy after Lia Thomas — who was a middling swimmer against men — smashed NCAA records in women’s swimming.
The world’s top swimming body recently barred Thomas and other biological males from competition, potentially signaling a shift in public perception on the issue.
