Twitter Facebook
This 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo is different from any others, including the fact that transgender athletes are officially included for the first time. Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, will be the first out transgender athlete to qualify to compete in the Games since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) released its consensus statement in 2004 allowing transgender participants. Hubbard will be joined at the Games by Stephanie Barrett, an archer from Canada, Chelsea Wolfe, a BMX rider from the United States, and Tiffany Abreu, a volleyball player from Brazil. However, the joy in seeing transgender athletes compete this summer is tempered by the heightened scrutiny Hubbard and her transgender peers are facing despite meeting standards established by theIOC nearly two decades ago. Rather than focus on their training and dedication to their sport, people are fixated on their hormones.