Transgender sprinter Valentina Petrillo, who is visually impaired, said she didn't face any discrimination at the recently concluded Paris Paralympics despite the criticism outside. The 51-year-old transitioned in 2019 took part in the T12 200m and 400m, where she reached the semifinals. Petrillo's participation, however, left the world divided and British author JK Rowling labelled her an "out and proud cheat". The Italian in an interview with the Times newspaper, however, revealed that the support she received in Paris was heartening.
"It was the perfect life. It was beautiful. I was welcomed by everybody," Petrillo told the daily. "Outside, we know it's not going to be the same. I hope this can be the start of a transformation for transgender people," she added.
Petrillo, who had faced harassment previously, also shared her thoughts on the remarks passed by the author of the popular series Harry Potter. "JK Rowling is only concerned about the fact that I use the female toilet, but she doesn’t know anything about me," said Petrillo.
The author has responded to the interview and explained her concern. " 'JK Rowling is only concerned about the fact that I use the female toilet'. Yeah, no. That's not the only thing I, or any of the other millions of women concerned about the destruction of female categories, boundaries and rights, are concerned about," she wrote on 'X'.
Rowling had a similar reaction to Imane Khelif's participation at the Paris Olympics. The boxer was subjected to global bullying after being caught in a gender eligibility row during her Olympic run. The pugilist from Algeria, who won country's first gold medal in women's boxing later filed a lawsuit and named the author among others.
Meanwhile, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) confirmed that Dutch discus thrower Ingrid van Kranen was the first transgender Paralympian, who competed at the Rio Paralympics in 2016 and died in 2021. The situation with Van Kranen differed considerably as her transition was not openly known. Over the last few years, the discourse around transgender athletes has garnered widespread attention.
The governing bodies of many sports including athletics, cycling and swimming have tightened their participation rules for transgender athletes in elite women's competitions. However, the IPC allows governing bodies to set their own policies and World Para Athletics permits an individual legally recognised as a woman to compete in the category for which their impairment qualifies them.
Critics say going through male puberty imbues athletes with a huge musculo-skeletal advantage that transition does not mitigate. LGBT advocacy groups say excluding trans athletes amounts to discrimination and that not enough research has been done into the impact of transition on athletic performance.
-with inputs from Reuters
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