Ebanie Bridges has blasted USA Boxing for a ‘Transgender Policy’, which will allow male boxers who transition to fight in the female category from 2024.
The governing body, which oversees America’s amateur and Olympic-style boxing, has announced it will allow transgender athletes to compete under certain conditions.
While boxers under the age of 18 must still compete as their birth gender, transgender fighters will be permitted to fight in the category of their choice.
They must meet certain criteria, including declaring their new gender identity, completing gender reassignment surgery and regular hormone testing.
Both male and female transgender athletes must have undergone quarterly hormone testing and provided US Boxing with documentation of their hormone levels for a minimum of four years following surgery.
Ebanie Bridges believes that trans athletes shouldn’t compete in the female category
USA Boxing has adopted a ‘Transgender Policy’ in its rule book for 2024 onwards
Boxers who have transitioned from male to female must demonstrate that their total testosterone level in serum has been below 5 nmol/L for at least 48 months prior to her first competition.
Bridges, a former world champion, said the decision by USA Boxing is ‘wrong on so many levels’ and a danger to biological females.
‘This is wrong on so many levels,’ wrote Bridges on X.
‘I will never agree to this… it’s bad enough having trans women breaking records in other sports like track and field, swimming and power lifting but it’s a bit different to them breaking our skulls in combat sports where the aim is to HURT YOU not just break a record…however I think it’s wrong in ALL SPORT.’
‘I have nothing against trans but can’t be skewing the line in sport…. You don’t see reference or debates for transmen in sport… cos it’s not a threat…
‘It ain’t just about the test levels what about their bone density and a heap of other biological factors. Cutting your bits off and adding boobs won’t take back the masculine maturity your body has gone through before you decided you are now a woman.’
The Aussie star believes that the controversial policy could harm women’s boxing as a whole.
‘I don’t care about ‘political correctness’ it’s politically incorrect to have a man fighting a woman,’ she posted in another Tweet.
The new policy, which was announced last week, specified conditions athletes must meet
Bridges says the policy is dangerous and puts the health and safety of boxers at risk
‘And idc (I don’t know) that’s exactly what it is… this society is too soft.. this is our health and safety. The girls need to stick together or women’s sport in 50 years will be filled with male born champions.’
USA Boxing announced the policy last week, saying in a statement: ‘The purpose of this policy is to provide fairness and safety for all boxers.’
USA Boxing has made the move to introduce the policy after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled in 2021 that each sport and its governing body has the responsibility to decide how athletes are at a disadvantage to others.
As Boxing’s International Federation has yet to determine eligibility for transgender boxers, USA Boxing said it has stepped in to make its own ruling with its objective ‘the safety of all boxers and fair competition between all boxers’.