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Kelly Slater (pictured) knower of all things.
Kelly Slater (pictured) knower of all things.

Surfing’s most dominant competitor Kelly Slater advises on trans athlete debate currently roiling extreme sport world: “Make a trans division and we don’t have this confusion (shrug emoji).”

Simple solutions.

A topic is not officially oversaturated until the world’s greatest surfer weighs in with his thoughts, advice. Slightly more than a week ago, longboarder Sasha Jane Lowerson blitzed the competition, winning the Western Australian Longboarding women’s division with the greatest of ease. She became the first surfer to win both women’s division and men’s, as Ryan Egan, division three years’ prior.

Well, days ago, respectable surf media house Stab Magazine covered Lowerson’s victory for the first time, following the FCC’s recommended guidelines before pushing hot buttons, and drew 11x champion Kelly Slater into the mix.

Slater, sagely, commented, “Make a trans division and we don’t have this confusion.” including a fine shrug emoji at the end.

Fine advice, no doubt, but one small problem, maybe. Harper’s Index, a collection of data highlighting public perception, declares that Americans believe 21% of the population is transgender.

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The reality is .6%.

And the percentage of that .6% who surf professionally, I’d have to think, lightly smaller.

So, here we are, stuck. What then to do? Should fairness, in sport, be struck down as an antiquated notion? Should sport, itself, be struck down altogether as a relic of times gone by? I very much wanted to ask Sasha Jane Lowerson, herself, but after agreeing to be interviewed proceeded to block BeachGrit across social media and go dark. When I emailed, asking for account, she responded, “People have made threats on my life. I’m taking some time out! The rules are the rules!”

But I think “the rules” is where everyone aside from Kelly Slater is confused, yes? Where society and norms have shifted under our very feet? Not that anyone needs another cis male’s opinion on the matter, especially one who doesn’t hold eleven surfing world titles, but I believe gender is, like, a thing. A biological truth. To erase, or call it a racist construct, not only defies logic but becomes dangerous as meaning would simply vanish.

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So if gender is real, though alterable, should transgendered athletes be allowed to compete in women’s divisions?

No.

There’s having cake. There’s eating cake. The former doesn’t guarantee the latter.

Now drag me to the public square to be beaten black and blue with rolled up copies of Oberlin College’s summer course catalog.

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132 Comments
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Lmarie

I believe it’sI believe it’s called Breast milk thats why God made them.

Gourmet Kook

So. – Men & Women can crash their category and events

Gourmet Kook

🐐. .. …… . . . *that was my joke **EL OH WELL…

Christ Puncher

“I wish Sasha Jane and her kind all the best and the greatest happiness,
but competing in and destroying the integrity of women’s sports is too
big an ask.”

No you don’t wish her and “her kind” any happiness. You’ve gone out of your way several times to deny her identity – you’re obviously transphobic.

Juul Cat

Fr

Some Guy

“She” was born with a penis. Referring him as “her” is just a complete fallacy that no surgery can change.

braziliangayjesus

all the trannies love kelly… ’cause he’s a douche!

david fffff

Peak American to imagine 21% of the population as something you hate when in fact, it is 0.6%… American imaginations running wild on cue.

Sam George’s Hair

So would a transgender division be unfair to the transgender folks identifying as male? I’m so confused.

FL Skunk Ape

Just saw this after posting my comment in latest article. This is a no-brainer. Create a TG division and there ya go…

Keith Grace

It’s only a matter of time before Outerknown introduces an environmentally sustainable, earth-friendly baby formula to be introduced in the next 10-page mailer catalog… a product which of course will be comletely inferior to whatever baby formula is simultaneously put into the markey by Patagonia Provisions…

Julian Everett

Stick to surfing and leave the nutrition to the trained experts

Hippy

Why don’t we change this debate….. how bout asking this woman if she identifies as gay?

If she says no, will she date women? Or men?

Then ask her again.

JSC

Years of testosterone conveys an unassailable athletic advantage to pre-op transgender people – the only way a women who does not have an equivalent supply of testosterone can compete is to obtain testosterone from an external source – that is called “cheating”.

It is too easy to put on a dress and call yourself a “woman” when you are carrying the full male package, including active testicles producing testosterone on a daily basis –

Unfair to women to have to compete with genetic and anatomically complete men – full stop

Some Guy

Couldn’t agree more

Steve Borst

I’m on the the trick that Beach Grit plays. You habitually imply in passing that Kelly Slater is the greatest surfer in the world. He is only the top contest surfer. Big wave surfers are the highest class. In that arena, he is good, but not the best. What is your game? What’s in it for you?

Low wide stinkbug stance

You are over thinking it. They are just damning with faint praise hoping to get a rise out of him.

No one really thinks big wave riders are the highest class. Definitely brave, or maybe just crazy, but there’s more to surfing than that.

Steve Borst

You’re under thinking it. Of course big wave surfing is the highest class – it goes without saying.

Low wide stinkbug stance

Curcular argument but whatever dude.

Steve Borst

Logical, not circular. Big wave surfing is the hardest to do and it is what captures the public imagination. It just doesn’t make a lot of money. Can you deny that Laird is the greatest of all time? He didn’t surf contests.

Low wide stinkbug stance

The Duke is the greatest of all time.

Some Guy

It ain’t the hardest to do. In terms of technicality and skill, ripping 2 ft. onshore slop is the “hardest” surfing to do well. Taking nothing away from big wave chargers but it takes less in the way of skill and much more in the way of balls to surf big waves.

Steve Borst

You don’t get it. You agree that it takes the most balls to surf big waves. That is what counts.

Some Guy

My point is it takes more balls than technical skill

AI (for ever) .

what about the Russian woman’s Olympic team ?

Pauly Matt War-Shore

Jeez. That must have been hard for you. Shoulda just walked out. tbh.

Steve Borst

Pauly – you are a smart alec who isn’t too smart. Wokeness is a dangerous form of conformity, similar to McCarthyism in the 50s.

The Bitchy Crab

They definitely love power and wealth

Chazz Michael Michaels

If Slater truly wanted to assure his legacy he’d pivot to chick and bag a couple of tranny world titles. He wouldn’t even have to change his name. It would be ruthless and beautiful and I’d get a full back tat of her.

Pauly Matt War-Shore

You’re better than this asinine comment.

Chazz Michael Michaels

Give yourself a break, mate.

What exactly offended you, use of “tranny”?

Nothing to rescind here.

Pauly Matt War-Shore

I’m not offended per se, or asking for a retraction.

AI (for ever) .

Can we have a Tranny sticker?

Asking for Hot Stuff 🙂

Pauly Matt War-Shore

How about an, I’d still say “fxxxxt” if it were socially acceptable, badge?

Some Guy

You mean faggot?

BLACK IRISH

Sounds like you already had a prick retraction

Pauly Matt War-Shore

If I had that, I’d ban you.

BLACK IRISH

Of course you would Matt Banning. Canceling, banning and crying racism etc… is your response to views you don’t agree with.Must be hard ( unlike your prick) to go through life so offended and pissed off all the time.

Pauly Matt War-Shore

I just said I’m not banning you just being a cleft asshole. Why would I? I’d then have to ban myself. Furthermore, I’m not trying to “cancel” anyone, and I’d only cry racism if something was racist. You’re the one that sounds a little het up, sir.

disqus_00d1gIXedO

love this pissed off offended guy telling us we’re pissed off and offended. it’s fucking classic! he literally has his panties in a wad about transgender surf comps! hahaha!

Low wide stinkbug stance

Take a chill pill mate, nothing here is serious, it’s not meant to be serious, is it?

Pauly Matt War-Shore

Just not really down with calling people “trannies”. We don’t say “homo’s” anymore, right?

Ricky Spanish

Kelly shares yet another unsolicited opinion that no one should give 2 fucks about

AI (for ever) .

The best answer is the one that makes everyone unhappy.
Simply acknowledge a winner of “Trans Division” as the highest placed “person identifying as” in whichever division they choose to surf in- male or women.
So still we have a traditional Men’s winner, Female winner with a modern call of an Transgender winner !

It can be so simple to be inclusive its stupid not to be?

Party Pete

Not a bad idea. We could then go with 1 division rather than separating genders at all.

Chief Hot stuff

Or just accept what lot youve been given like every other poor cunt on this earth.
Can the white male ever be satisfied.
I doubt it.

AI (for ever) .

I know only too well, it’s not easy being young, rich AND beautiful but I still push on everyday.

Chas Smith

There is yes.


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