Lance Armstrong Weighed in on Transgender Athletes and the Internet Obviously Went Nuts
Well, we didn’t have Lance Armstrong publicly pondering unfair competition in sports but here we are.
On Saturday evening, Armstrong posted a series of tweets, asking such questions as, “Is there not a world in which one can be supportive of the transgender community and curious about the fairness of Trans athletes in sport yet not be labeled a transphobe or a bigot as we ask questions? Do we yet know the answers? And do we even want to know the answers?”
And rightfully so, the internet responded in a fury.
Cycling journalist Peter Flax tweeted, “Yes when it comes to the topic of fairness in sport, there's no one better to lead the conversation than the biggest cheater in bike-racing history—who made cheating a science, pressured others to cheat, bullied those who questioned him, and still considers himself a victim.”
Yes when it comes to the topic of fairness in sport, there's no one better to lead the conversation than the biggest cheater in bike-racing history—who made cheating a science, pressured others to cheat, bullied those who questioned him, and still considers himself a victim.
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) June 25, 2023
In a new series on Armstrong’s podcast, The Forward, he’ll be talking with Cailtyn Jenner about trans participation in sport. In the trailer, Armstrong claims that he’s not afraid to be canceled, suggesting that he’s already been canceled in the past.
But…that’s not exactly true.
Armstrong was arguably one of the most influential cyclists of all time, until 2013, when he was busted for doping throughout his career. As are the rules of the sport, Armstrong was stripped of his titles. Then, after years of denying it—lying about it to everyone—he finally admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. So he canceled himself.
Since coming out as trans in 2015, Jenner has built a reputation of spouting anti-trans rhetoric. She frequently attacks the trans community that she’s part of, and now works as a regular contributor for Fox News.
According to The Pink News, last year, Jenner welcomed a ban on trans women in elite swimming, saying, “What’s fair is fair. If you go through male puberty, you should not be able to take medals away from females. Period.”
As someone who frequently enters women’s golf tournaments, it feels like a contradiction that Jenner also stands in protest against trans women competing in cycling. Both Armstrong and Jenner seem like starkly the wrong people to be having a “forward thinking” conversation about fairness in sport.
And as it turns out, trans women are not a threat to women’s sports. The USA Cycling National Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee this weekend proved that. Women’s cycling is at an all time high, and as a nation we should be putting our energy into getting women paid fairly and equally. Not threatening the lives of trans people.
Armstrong will clearly do anything to keep his name in the news, and while he’s not taking the risks or challenging anyone’s thought the way he thinks he is, his name is indeed back in the news.
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