High-profile athletes Riley Gaines and Taylor Silverman are set to lead a protest over the participation of Austin Killips, a transgender cyclist, in the women’s category at the 2023 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championship this Sunday. The protest is expected to spark further debates over the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports.
Austin Killips, who was assigned male at birth, has publicly transitioned to a female identity and has been competing in women’s cycling races for several years, achieving numerous victories. Recently, Killips took home the women’s title at the Belgian Waffle Ride North Carolina on June 10, a win which stirred controversy and drew criticism from several corners, including tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who labeled it as a “joke.”
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The growing success of Killips in the women’s division has prompted champion skateboarder Taylor Silverman and former NCAA swimming champion Riley Gaines to voice their objections. They are protesting the USA Cycling event, criticising the organization for permitting Killips to compete in the women’s category.
In a statement reported by Outkick, Silverman said, “I hope that UCI and USA Cycling hear us and decide to change the rules that currently allow male athletes like Killips to compete in the women’s division because it’s simply unfair.” She continued to argue that it is wrong for women to lose opportunities due to the personal choices of others.
Silverman herself has reportedly lost qualifying positions to trans women athletes in her competitions. “Two of those times, I actually got bumped out of first place into second, and I’ve also lost out on prize money,” she stated during an interview with Fox Business Network. She revealed that her concerns, raised with contest organizers after repeated occurrences, were ignored, compelling her to share her experiences on social media.
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While Silverman has faced criticism for her stance on transgender athletes in women’s sports, she also shared that she has received widespread support. “I get hundreds of thousands of messages every month from people thanking me for speaking up, whether that be female athletes, parents, coaches,” she said.
Riley Gaines, who has been actively advocating for the exclusion of trans women from women’s sports, has also criticized USA Cycling and Austin Killips following the latter’s recent victory in North Carolina. She has encouraged female athletes to “start taking a knee” and refuse to participate in competitions where trans women are also competitors.
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