(ConservativeJournal.org) – Several female martial artists have recently chosen to withdraw from a major competition, citing feelings of fear and a lack of safety due to previous encounters with transgender “women” as their opponents. This has led NAGA, the North American Grappling Association, to revise its rules regarding transgender competitors.
These concerns are part of a growing chorus of female athletes who, in recent months, have expressed genuine apprehension about competing against men who call themselves transwomen.
Jayden Alexander, a professional martial artist, recounted a distressing experience from July when she fought a transgender woman. This encounter left her “devastated.” As a result, she has opted to self-exclude from upcoming competitions to avoid facing transgender opponents.
Initially, Alexander had reservations about speaking out, fearing the label of being “transphobic.” However, she emphasized that it is entirely unacceptable for men to enter combat sports to compete against women and that they shouldn’t have to self-exclude from competitions to avoid such situations. She also said that being scared to speak out regarding this issue is indicative of deeper issues in society. She advocates for the establishment of rules and regulations to ensure the safety of female athletes.
Throughout the summer, videos of female competitors facing transgender challengers gained widespread attention, sparking discussions about fairness and safety. Concerns were raised about the transgender participants being considerably heavier than their female opponents.
As aforementioned, NAGA ended up revising its policies. While the policy initially stated that women would not be compelled to compete against transgender fighters, several women argued that this wasn’t upheld, and they subsequently boycotted an October tournament in Georgia.
During that event, one transgender “woman,” Corissa Griffith, won 4 gold medals.
In response, the North American Grappling Association has also issued a statement, clarifying that their policy allows women to decide whether they wish to compete against transgender “women.”
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