#BoycottRipCurl Trending After Trans Surfer Support, Bethany Hamilton Backlash

An angry mob, armed with virtual pitchforks and torches, is targeting Rip Curl.

The iconic surf brand, formed in Torquay, Australia back in 1969, has come under fire following a since-deleted social media post featuring transgender female competitive surfer, Sasha Jane Lowerson.

Additionally, the backlash comes after the brand severed ties with pro surfer and shark attack survivor, Bethany Hamilton, who voiced opposition against transgender athletes competing in women’s surfing.

On X (FKA Twitter) the hashtag #BoycottRipCurl is trending, with dozens upon dozens of posts emerging in the fallout from the one Instagram post. One post, currently with 11,000 likes and 2,400 reposts, reads:

“Imagine, dropping a phenomenal professional surfer, who survived a shark biting her arm off, only to replace her with a man who pretends to be a woman. Guess what my followers and I will be doing? We will all #BoycottRipCurl”

And back on Instagram, where the original post was deleted, a barrage of comments flooded all other recent posts:

“You just put the RIP into rip curl.”

“Protect real womens sports. Shame shame shame.”

“I too stand with Bethany Hamilton. Shame on you. Why do all these companies have to follow the crowd when they know they’re wrong? Men are NOT women, but again, you already know that. Man up, Rip Curl, and do the right thing.”

Last year, the World Surf League announced they will accept transgender athletes to compete in their events in accordance with the policy from the International Surfing Association (ISA). And Bethany Hamilton responded:

“This concerns me as a professional athlete that has competed in the World Surf League events for the past 15-plus years. I feel that I must speak up.”

She continued:

“I personally won’t be competing in, or supporting, the World Surf League if this rule remains.”

As for Lowerson, her social media is private, so there’s been no response there. And no public comment from Rip Curl regarding the matter as of yet.

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