Joanna Alphonso
Numerous records have been broken in women’s competitions over the past few years. This sounds like amazing news – women reaching new heights of power and skill. Except these new records have been set by men who identify as women. Here’s a record of the times that female-identifying males beat women in various competitions in 2023.
Tiffany Newell in the women’s 1500m race. Via Daily Mail UK.
January –Tiffany Newell, 50, Toronto, ON: stole first place in the women’s indoor 3000 metre and 1500 metre runs for women ages 45-49 and 50-54 respectively. In the following months, Newell went on to steal several other races and record titles from other female athletes, some going back as far as 2003.
Valentina Petrillo via Reduxx.
March – Fabrizio “Valentina” Petrillo, 49, Ancona, Italy: stole the eighth women’s championship title in the 200m race for women ages 50-54. Petrillo’s physical difference was obvious to the competition and to onlookers, like Marco Alciator, a statistician who was present at the championship. According to Reduxx. “Were it not for the fact that Petrillo is still unbelievably entitled to compete in the women’s category,” commented Alciator, “he would have finished 14th place in the (men’s) 50 category.”
Avi Silverberg at the powerlifting meet, via Daily Mail UK.
March – Avi Silverberg, 36, Lethbridge, Alberta: crushed the competition with 270 lbs in the Heroes Classic Powerlifting Meet for the 84+ kg women’s powerlifting category. Silverberg has been a powerlifting coach for Team Canada in the past and joined the women’s competition under the Canadian Powerlifting Union’s “Trans Inclusion Policy.” This policy allows transgender powerlifters to enter the category that aligns with their gender identity, whether or not they have undergone surgery or hormone therapy, according to the National Post. He has not commented on his choice to enter the competition and his new record, but according to Britain’s Daily Mail, it is rumoured that he entered as a protest to the CPU Trans Inclusion Policy.
Austin Killips via Outside Magazine.
April – Austin Killips, 27, Hendersonville, North Carolina: breezed past the competition at the Tour of the Glia in New Mexico, becoming the first transgender woman to win a Union Cycliste International (UCI) racing event. According to Knox News, the team was thrilled with Killips’ win, but did not expect the backlash after taking first place.
Cameron “Cara” Dixon via Extra Ireland.
June –Cameron “Cara” Dixon, 28, Cork, Ireland: obliterates 12 other competitors in the TransAtlanticWay, a self-supported 2500 km road bike challenge. Dixon finished the challenge a staggering 300km – a total of 26 hours – ahead of the leading female cyclist, Jasmijn Muller, according to Extra Ireland. Dixon would have placed 4th in the men’s category. This wasn’t the first time that Dixon competed against women, having finished the Dirty Reiver Gravel Race one and a half hours ahead of the top female participant. In the men’s category, Dixon would have placed 31st overall.
Fabrizio “Valentina” Petrillo at the World Para Athletics Championships via Reduxx.
July – Fabrizio “Valentina” Petrillo, 49, Paris, France: stole the bronze medal in the women’s 400m run at the World Para Athletics Championships. According to Reduxx, Petrillo competed with visually impaired women, assisted by guides to stay on course. Because Petrillo is recognized as female by law, he was allowed to compete within the guidelines of the Championship organizers. Petrillo had previously raced against women in Italian paralympic competitions, without undergoing any form of medical transition, and was still legally listed as male on his identification. He qualified to represent Italy at the Tokyo Olympic games, but was barred last-minute by the Italian government, and was barred from competing against women with disabilities in the 2021 Paralympics.
Rikkie Valerie Kollé wins “Miss Netherlands” title. Via Style Magazine
July – Rikkie Valerie Kollé, 22, Netherlands, and Marina Machete, 28, Portugal: wins “Miss Netherlands” and “Miss Portugal” titles respectively, and represented their respective countries at “Miss Universe” in November. Kollé started puberty-blocking treatment at age 12 and hormone replacement therapy at age 16 with the support of his parents. He completed his transition in January 2023. Machete is an LGBTQ+ activist and has worked as a flight attendant for the past five years.
Anne Andres at the Western Canadian Powerlifting & Bench
August – Anne Andres, 40, Manitoba, Canada: lifts above competition in the Western Canadian Powerlifting & Bench Press Championships for the women’s unequipped ages 40-50 category (sometimes called “raw lifting” without usual supportive equipment). According to the National Post, Andes commented prior to the competition, “I will win by a good margin. This is due to my training ethic, but people widely misattribute it to my history 20 years ago.” Andes continued, “I didn’t touch a barbell my entire life until about seven years ago.” Notably, many female athletes dropped out of this competition according to April Huchinson, a female Canadian powerlifter, after finding out that they’d be competing against Andes. “The CPU was doing nothing about their concerns,” she remarked, “that national record that (Andres) broke; athletes have been chasing that for years. We’re talking top athletes who have been training and training and training.”
Images: via Reduxx.
August – Claire Law, 35, and Kiana Gysin, Washington and Switzerland: men who beat female cyclists in competition, again. According to Reduxx, Law defeated numerous teenage female racers in the livestreamed velodrome event. Some other competitors in this demographic were seen completely dropping out in the last lap when it was obvious that Law would grasp the easy victory. The following day, Gysin narrowly beat American competitor Dani Morsehead, winning a total of 500 Swiss Francs.
Evan “Eden” Philpot via Reddux.
September – Evan “Eden” Philpot, USA: exposed by an anonymous whistleblower to the Daily Mail, Philpot racked up four gold medals in fencing and two silvers within a matter of months. Philpot’s presence across the various competitions sparked a silent outrage according to the whistleblower, who claimed that she had trained for 10 years, only to be beaten by “male bodied people” with the “advantage that male puberty brings.” Philpot, who had an unsuccesful stint as a fencer at the University of North Carolina from 2013-2015, became the first “woman” to win gold in different disciplines (foil and sabre).
Tristan Young crowned “Homecoming Queen” via Them.Us.
September – Tristan Young, 17, Kansas City, Missouri: crowned “Homecoming Queen” at Oak Park High School. Over 1,500 students voted for Young to receive this title according to Them. Furthermore, this is not the first time that the school crowned a transgender as homecoming queen. “I’m not going to think about all this backlash I got,” commented Young.
Liz Kocab at the Vet-70 Women’s Epee World Championship via @usafencing on Instagram.
October – Liz Kocab, 71, Florida: slashed his way to his eighth fencing champion title at the FIE Veteran Fencing World Championships. Kocab already won world championships in the 50s and 60s category, and this is his second win for the 70+ category, according to the Pink News.
“Women of the Year” edition of the Glamour Magazine.
November – Geena Rocero, 40, New York City: Glamour Magazine’s “Woman of the Year” is a man. Facing abuse and hardships growing up in the Philippines, Rocero found a new family in the trans pageantry, according to Glamour. Rocero was made fun of for his “equine” neck and limbs. By age 15, he was winning national pageant titles. Rocero continued to compete, and began working in the fashion industry in America. He also works as a trans activist.
Evelyn Williamson and Michael “Tessa” Johnson at the Illinois Championship via Reduxx.
December –Evelyn Williamson, 29, and Michael “Tessa” Johnson, 30, Montrose Beach, Illinois: cycled their way to first and second pace at the Illinois State CycloCross Championship. The pair have competed together and as individuals for several years in women’s categories, grabbing numerous titles, prize money, and bragging rights that could have been earned by women.
