Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton made waves over the weekend when she announced she would not participate in the World Surf League if it allows men to compete in the women’s division.
“I want to be clear that I strive to have love for all of mankind regardless of any differences. But this concerns me as a professional athlete that has been competing in the World Surf League events for the past 15 plus years and I feel that I must speak up and stand up for those in positions that they feel that they cannot say something about this,” the “Soul Surfer” author said in a video posted to her Instagram account.
She was joined in her plea by several male and female professional surfers and athletes who oppose the transgender war on women’s sports.
WSL quietly announced last week that it plans to implement a new rule allowing male athletes to participate in female surfing competitions so long as they maintain a testosterone level of less than 5 nmol/L (nanomoles per liter) for 12 months prior to the women’s event.
The rule, which only requires competitors to self-report their testosterone levels, is based on a policy by the International Surfing Association in October 2022. That policy was adopted shortly after a male surfer won the women’s divisions of the West Coast Suspensions Longboard and Logger State Championships in May 2022.
“The WSL is working hard to balance equity and fairness and it’s important for
