Petition against trans weightlifter Laurel Hubbard competing in Olympics pulled for ‘hate speech’

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It called for all trans athletes to be banned from competing.

A petition calling for transgender people to be banned from competing at the Olympics has been taken down. It claimed that "women and girls are being sacrificed by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) as an easy fix for transgender demands for inclusion," and comes as New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is set to become the first transgender athlete to compete at an Olympics later on Monday. At the time of its removal, more than 30,000 people had signed the petition.

The petition read: "Male-born athletes who identify as women are taking women's places on sports teams, breaking women's sporting records and insisting they must share changing and showering facilities with women.

"This is unfair to women due to the incontrovertible physical advantage that trans women have."

The Daily Mail reports that it was then removed after it was "flagged as hate speech."

In 2015, the IOC made amendments to its qualifying guidelines, allowing trans athletes to compete in women's events depending on their testosterone levels.

Hubbard competed as a male weightlifter before transitioning in 2012 and returning to the sport in 2017. Related links: Trans weightlifter cleared by Olympics Committee to compete in Tokyo Tokyo Olympics: Laurel Hubbard becomes first ever trans athlete selected for the Olympics IOC praises trans weightlifter Laurel Hubbard before athlete’s Olympic debut

She has praised the IOC for allowing her to compete, saying:

"The Olympic Games are a global celebration of our hopes, our ideals and our values." But her inclusion at the games has caused a huge amount of controversy with some suggesting that Hubbard has a significant advantage over her fellow competitors because she has gone through male puberty.

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Petition against trans weightlifter Laurel Hubbard competing in Olympics pulled for ‘hate speech’

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It called for all trans athletes to be banned from competing.

It called for all trans athletes to be banned from competing.

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