Kate Nagle, News Editor and GoLocalProv Sports Team
Christina Rondeau, a renowned kickboxer from Rhode Island, asserts that trans athletes should have their own sports division.
Rondeau’s remarks came after two trans athletes won the top two spots in a women’s division in an Illinois cycling competition.
“Women have been fighting for so long, and now we are fighting once again,” Rondeau commented on social media. “It’s really that simple—they need their own division!”
Rondeau, the owner of Johnston’s Kickboxing, is a well-known author, trainer, and motivational speaker.
“I’m not against transgender people. I have many transgender friends,” Rondeau said to GoLocal. “I have no hatred or judgment. I’m happy for them.” However, they need their own division. They are taking opportunities away from women.
Chuck Norris selected Rondeau, a fifth-degree black belt and former member of the USA boxing team before turning pro, as the only representative for his Team New England World Combat League.
“It’s biology that makes them stronger and more powerful,” Rondeau stated. “I wouldn’t compete against a transgender athlete if someone put me up to it.”
Options for Every Athlete
“In 1920, we were given the right to vote, and a century later, here we are still fighting for our rights,” Rondeau remarked. “Scholarships are being denied to women. We need to say that we will no longer compete against transgender athletes in sports.”
Rondeau cited the World Swimming Federation’s 2022 decision to limit trans athletes’ ability to compete against women athletes and the North American Grappling Association jiu-jitsu group’s decision this month.
“There will be some sports opportunities that aren’t currently available to them,” Rondeau said. “I fully support who they want to be, but every choice has a consequence. There needs to be a solution for transgender athletes; maybe one day, there will even be an LGBT volleyball league. But it’s up to them to create it.”
Rondeau said that while she hasn’t encountered “pushback on her views in the kickboxing world,” she is aware that some people will disagree.
“People can be brave and mean on Facebook, it’s true. But I’m looking for solutions,” she said.
Finding solutions is the focus of Rondeau’s latest book, “Gifts From Being Abused.”
“I decided to tell my story,” Rondeau declared. “I wanted to develop resources and solutions for parents of abused children. What do you do? They need resources and proper mental support. I provide those in my book.
“I encourage you to take action,” she writes in the book. “Give your children the skills and confidence they need to navigate today’s challenging landscape.”
National Focus
On the national level, the issue of transgender athletes competing against women has become prominent. Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania, was nominated by her class for the NCAA “Woman of the Year” award in 2022.
Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who competed against Thomas, testified in favor of legislation that would prohibit transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports in Ohio.
In November, The Ohio Capital Journal reported:
“Gaines testified to the Ohio Senate Government Oversight Committee that she and Thomas tied for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle final in 2022 with a time of 1:43.40.”
“However, NCAA officials told me that the trophy belonged to Thomas. According to the officials, this was necessary for public relations. I felt shocked. I experienced a feeling of betrayal and humiliation like a photo-op. But my feelings were irrelevant. The feelings of a biological man were what mattered to the NCAA.”
Martina Navratilova, a former professional tennis player, recently expressed her frustration over the Illinois State Cyclocross Championships, which both Gaines and Rondeau found upsetting.
“At the Illinois State Cyclocross Championships last week, two men took first and second place. There are only two categories for men in usacycling and none for women. I will personally pay any woman who drops out and doesn’t compete the prize money they are missing out on,” Gaines encouraged people to stop participating in the farce on X (formerly Twitter).
Navratilova retweeted Gaines’ information and added her response:
“More poor male bodies stealing podium places from female athletes. And it’s disgusting!”
