"Being authentically trans is deep and heavy traumatic work. It’s ridiculous how much we have to go through just to even exist gracefully in this world."
A couple of months back, the most dominant surfer ever Kelly Slater broke the hearts of trans-girls everywhere when he responded to a WSL rule change that allows biological males, albeit with low levels of T, to compete, with a call for a “trans division.”
The knife was turned again when, in response to Kid Rock blowing hell out of Dylan Mulvaney-emblazoned Bud Light cans with an assault rifle, Slater commented, “Hahahaha. No words necessary.”
(Dylan Mulvaney, if y’don’t know, is a boy gone girl who likes “possums and twilight and pretzels.”)
Now, the pro-trans website Surf Equity (“Access—Inclusion—Equity—Justice in Pro Surfing”) has danced on Slater’s still-warm competitive corpse posting an Instagram story with the worlds “We hope Kelly Slater takes time to address his fascist tendencies” over a screenshot of an OC Register story of his demise.
It ain’t the first time Surf Equity has had a swing at the Champ, pushing back on Slater’s supposed coup de grâce to “name a few women who have transitioned to men who are winning or even competitive in men’s sports divisions. I’ll wait.”
(Surf Equity suggests an examination of Schuyler Bailar, Tyler C Wilde and Lucas Draper.)
Slater gets short shrift from Surf Equity’s followers, his words insulting, colour blind etc.
We don’t need kelly ‘defending’ women’s surfing…not from the same guy who publicly shamed big wave surfer maya gabeira after almost dying, and def not through transphobic garbage commentary like this. Identifying as a surfboard?! 11 titles and still a fkn kook!! At the least I hope this brought surf equity some publicity. Equal rights in sports is good for everyone.”
“As a trans person who has had to struggle my whole life to feel accepted, by Kelly saying “identifiying as a surfboard” is completely dehumanizing of me and other trans peoples experiences. You don’t just wake up one day saying “hey I’m going to identify as a surfboard”. Being authentically trans is deep and heavy traumatic work. It’s ridiculous how much we have to go through just to even exist gracefully in this world. and it’s idiots like Kelly Slater that keep gatekeeping us from belonging in all places we deserve to belong…. ALSO (cause I’m venting) you can’t just change your race. That’s so insulting and color blind and has nothing to do with transitioning genders!”
“Perhaps @kellyslater doesn’t even realize how deeply he’s influenced by and helping to perpetuate anti-trans misinformation and hate. And unlike other professional sports, the surf industry lags way behind in efforts to recognize, include, or support LGBTQ athletes. Here on North Shore O’ahu, it’s still the dark ages on these issues and concerns. Ugh.”
Back to the T-girl debate, I’ll ask again: is Valentina Sampaio, who appeared in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue and on the VS catwalk, your favourite crossover trans-model ?
Or are you team Geena Rocero, a Playboy centrefold in 2019?
Are you pre or post-op?
Also!
Are T-girls chicks with dicks or dudes with tits?
(I’ll go first: Yes, no, pre-op and depends on the gal!)
Kelly slater a true champion of women rights get your own division not someone elses
TRANS WORLD SURF has a new meaning
Huh, huh…you said penetrate.
I’ve always wondered whether there are any lesbian transgenders.
Tranny…”I’m a biological male who is a trans woman but I’m attracted to women but I’m not a lesbian”
Lesbians…”keep your shenis away from us.”
Tranny…”transphobe.”
Hmm you may have just convinced me to argue for an open category and do away with all this pesky gender stuff.
It will double the prizemoney too.
Derek definitely needs to be awarded the “trans curious” badge.
Hes just itching to see how the other side live.
None of those trans men have ever won anything as a man, but all three won many events when they were women.
Just bear in mind that nothing is serious and nothing is sacred and you’ll be fine. I mean we regularly call an 11 time world champ a kook and a published writer a hack.
Even our arch conservative friends just do it to wind everyone up.
I make jams.
Does anyone remember when facts proven by science were a thing or did our feelings do away with those memories?
Science shit the bed in the spring of 2020.
Beach Grit really is the Fox News of surfing, it’s kinda fun watching the idiots do their best olympic level mental gymnastics. #freedumbfighters
suck it 2 (or it sucks 2)
on another emotional roller-coaster this AM…Chas on Tyler; DR on fascist Kelly. hairs on the back of neck risen…again. can’t wait to see what tomorrow wil bring…maybe the finals! anit-anti-depressive. i hate my dad…and mom…
I find it interesting that anyone would care. If a guy wants to be a girl or a girl wants to be a guy, who cares? Likewise, if a dude wants to marry another dude or a woman a woman, none of my business and it’s none of yours. I guess as always it’s ‘Freedom with their exception’. And I think we know who ‘their’ is.
I don’t think anyone really cares except for some extremely conservative people.
Where it becomes contentious is when men who think they are women demand to compete against biological women. Thats not fair.
I agree, it’s not fair. But this issue has been blown way out of proportion to that specific point.
They keep coming up with more reasons to make us upset. I think it’s a diversionary tactic to get us to miss the real issue here, the change to Surfline’s forecasting. How does the surf suck but it’s in the “orange” everyday?
Lenny!
At least when Kelly’s addictions to winning and attention force him to transition he won’t have to change his name.
I for one think Kelly will just simply refuse to be cut, whether he gets the wildcard or not, he will just keep on showing up to events and write himself into the draw with a sharpie.
Kel really needs a manager to pry his official accounts away from his hands and run a private one for his rantings.
What say you, Bethany Hamilton?
You asked, she answered!