Retired Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon recently shared his full thoughts on the culture war against transgender athletes and why he feels strongly that they should be allowed to compete against people of their chosen gender.
“Trans athletes in sports is such a popular topic to talk about,” Rippon told Cinema Blend. “And really, there is still so much conversation to be had. And there’s more research to be done. But I believe that if we want this research, and we want to paint a clear picture of what it means to have trans people in sports, we need to allow them in sports to be able to do this research. There are no studies that can be done if you’re constantly and permanently discouraging trans athletes from being involved. There is no conversation to be had. I think that’s why it’s so important.”
Rippon thinks there’s room for more research as well as for giving transgender athletes a chance to compete.
Rippon says that he wants everyone to experience the same job that he had through sports and doesn’t want it to be something that divides people.
“I know all of the great things that sports have given me, and I really feel that everybody should be afforded that same opportunity,” he said. “At the end of the day, the medals and trophies, they’re awesome. But the greatest gifts that I have from sports are the moments where I pushed myself further than I thought I could, the way that I dealt with high-pressure situations, and the people and connections that I made.”
“And that’s what sports is all about. Yeah, we all want to win. We all want to do our best. But like that feeling of community, that’s what sports is all about. It’s this unifying place for so many people; I know that in sports was the first time that I created this group of friends that I’m still friends with to this day.”
Rippon also blasted Lance Armstrong over his stance on transgender athletes.
[Fox News]
