Powerlifting organization president warns trans women rule could 'destroy' powerlifting, other sports
Paul Bossi of the 100% Raw Powerlifting Federation discusses the significance of decision forcing USA Powerlifting to allow transgender athletes to participate in women's sports.
The 100% Raw Powerlifting Federation warned Monday that the sport could be in peril for female athletes following a court's decision requiring USA Powerlifting to allow transgender women to compete among biological females.
"It's terrible," president Paul Bossi told "Fox & Friends" Monday. "I'm pretty upset about it. A lot of the female powerlifters in our organization are pretty upset about this."
"The women worked really, really hard to get where they are and this change here, it's going to destroy not just powerlifting, but it's going to trickle down and destroy other sports as well."
USA Powerlifting must allow trans women to compete in female competitions. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Minnesota court, ruling in favor of transgender athlete JayCee Cooper last week, said the longstanding policy banning transgender athletes from competing in the women's category violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act on the premise of "separation and segregation."
Bossi said "there's no doubt" that female competitors facing off against a biological male athlete of the same age and experience would fall short.
"We had only one incident where a changed-gender female wanted to compete with us, and she came in and broke four world records. We had to reverse that. Our bylaws state you lift the way you are biologically born… " he said.
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"There's a reason why there's Title IX. There's a reason why there's male and female divisions in everything. Men are naturally stronger, they get 67% more muscle mass on them. Naturally, they have testosterone which is a muscle-inducing chemical that your body releases… we all know why men do so well and are so much stronger, and that's why."
He added that powerlifting numbers for men are significantly higher than those for women, with the men's record deadlift weight of approximately 1,100 pounds eclipsing women, who rarely reach a 400 pound lift.
Two female athletes relayed similar concerns earlier Monday on "Fox & Friends First," telling Fox News' Todd Piro that the court's decision was "disheartening."
"Women deal with so many struggles as it is… I got into powerlifting as a way to help my alcoholism. I'm four years sober. I got into powerlifting as a way to better my mental health a couple of years ago during COVID, so having to deal with addiction, COVID and now this battle of competing against men in my federation… it's heartbreaking and disheartening," said April Hutchinson, a Team Canada powerlifter.
Former NCAA swim champion Marshi Smith agreed.
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"It seems like we're entering into an unenlightenment era now where truth no longer prevails. The judges in the country should be seeking on a quest for truth and for justice," she said.
"To imply that women should be able to overcome, for example, in the sport of powerlifting, a 30% to 60% male advantage in the sport, it is outrageous and to try to attribute this enormous gap to better coaching or training facilities, is really insulting to women."