A lady boxer, Dr. Katia Bissonnette, pulled out of a Canadian tournament due to safety worries. She found out just a few hours before the match that her opponent, Mya Walmsley, is transgender. The big fight was supposed to happen at the 2023 Provincial Golden Glove Championship in Victoriaville, Quebec.
A woman boxer decided to back out of a Canadian tournament because she got worried about her safety when she found out her opponent is transgender.
Dr. Katia Bissonnette, from Saguenay, pulled out of the competition, saying she got only an hour's heads-up about being matched against transgender fighter Mya Walmsley last month.
Dr. Katia Bissonnette and Mya Walmsley were supposed to face off in the 2023 Provincial Golden Glove Championship in Victoriaville, Quebec. However, Dr. Bissonnette's withdrawal threw a wrench into their anticipated match.
They were supposed to face off in the 2023 Provincial Golden Glove Championship in Victoriaville, Quebec. However, Dr. Bissonnette's withdrawal threw a wrench into their anticipated match.
Dr. Bissonnette pointed to safety concerns as the main reason for stepping back from the competition after finding out about her opponent's transgender identity.
Yet, he made a last-minute call to pull out of the competition, triggered by the revelation of her opponent's identity.
As a result, Mya Walmsley was declared the automatic winner because organizers couldn't find a replacement for Dr. Bissonnette in the same weight class.
Sharing her take on the situation, Dr. Katia Bissonnette conveyed to Reduxx,
"Women shouldn't have to bear the physical and psychological risks brought about by a man's decisions regarding his personal life and identity."
She supported the idea of having two separate categories based on biological sex, emphasizing the need for distinctions between biological males and females in competitive sports.
Dr. Katia Bissonnette backed up her safety worries by pointing to a study from the University of Utah. The study showed that men can throw punches that are 163 percent harder than women.
Though research on the strength of transgender women suggests that hormone blockers might reduce this biological advantage somewhat, Bissonnette used these findings to emphasize her concerns.
Following Boxing Canada's guidelines, the identity of a transgender fighter shouldn't be revealed if the transition happened before puberty. This is to avoid discrimination.
Mya Walmsley, originally from Australia with a hidden background, became a central focus of Bissonnette's worries.
Dr. Bissonnette stated that Walmsley's record shows 'zero fights as a woman' in Canada, prompting questions about her experience in women's boxing.
In response to the situation, Mya Walmsley criticized Dr. Katia Bissonnette for publicly disclosing her transgender identity instead of directly approaching her for a resolution.
The controversy underscores different viewpoints on how such matters should be dealt with within the sports community.
"This kind of behavior puts athletes at risk of being excluded or receiving personal attacks based on hearsay," Walmsley said in a statement."
"I am afraid that this type of accusation could eventually be used to delegitimize athletes in the women's category, and justify arbitrary and invasive regulations."
Mya Walmsley, a philosophy master's student, told La Presse that she didn't go through the transition process with the goal of becoming a boxer.
She conveyed a sense of being a 'political object' in the aftermath of the situation, highlighting the intricate nature of the debate about transgender athletes in sports.
She supported a system that relies on coaches and athletes to make informed decisions about participating in the suitable gender categories.
Unlike the International Olympic Committee's rules allowing transwomen to compete in female categories by reducing their testosterone to a certain level, Mya Walmsley confirmed she didn't undergo testing for testosterone levels before entering the championship.
She argued against what she called 'arbitrary and invasive' tests, suggesting that putting such measures in place would hit a dead end in addressing the issue.
The controversy surrounding Dr. Katia Bissonnette and Mya Walmsley has sparked a renewed debate on the best way to include transgender competitors in sports.
This incident comes after Fallon Fox, the first openly transgender MMA fighter, disclosed that she had broken a female competitor's bone in a match before retiring from the sport.
Fox noted that the broken orbital bone suffered by Tamika Brents was a typical injury in the sport, regardless of gender. The incident adds to the broader conversation about ensuring fair competition and safety for all athletes, regardless of gender identity.
