Valentina Petrillo, Italian sprinter, will be the first out trans Paralympian
August 14, 2024Billie Eilish might have just concluded the Paris Olympics, but for those who love global sporting events, it’s time to get excited for the Paralympic Games later this month. Notably, viewers can look forward to watching Valentina Petrillo, the first out transgender Paralympian.
The 50-year-old sprinter is set to compete in the women's T12 category for visually impaired athletes, participating in the 200- and 400-meter races. Petrillo was diagnosed with Stargardt disease at 14, which the National Eye Institute describes as a rare genetic condition that causes gradual loss of central vision. According to BBC Sport, Petrillo won 11 national men's T12 titles from 2015 to 2018, prior to her transition.
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According to ‘Them’, she began socially transitioning with the support of her wife in 2018 and started gender-affirming hormone therapy in January 2019. The previous year, Petrillo earned bronze medals in both the 200 and 400-meter races at the World Para Athletics Championships, as reported by The Guardian.
In a recent conversation with BBC Sport, Petrillo stated that her participation as the first transgender competitor in the Paralympics “is an important symbol of inclusion.”
“This is not a lifestyle choice for me, this is who I am,” she elaborated, pointing out that she “should not be discriminated against in the same way that race, religion or political ideology should not be discriminated against.” While World Athletics, the global track and field governing body, banned almost all trans women from competition last year, World Para Athletics' regulations allow anyone legally recognized as a woman to compete, according to BBC Sport. Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), mentioned to the outlet that although he believes "the sport movement has to, guided by science, come up with better answers… for transgender athletes," the current IPC rules permit Petrillo's participation. “So she will be welcome as any other athlete,” Parsons stated.
Despite many critics claiming that trans women and girls inherently have a physical advantage over cisgender women, conclusive evidence supporting this claim is lacking. An April study, partially funded by the International Olympic Committee, even suggested that trans women might face athletic disadvantages compared to cis women.
In her BBC Sport interview, Petrillo challenged the “binary way of thinking” that has resulted in anti-trans athletic policies, emphasising, “It is sport that has to find a solution and excluding transgender athletes is clearly not that solution.” She noted that even in instances where trans women were allowed to compete, “the number of instances in which they have stood out for their sporting results have been very few and far between.”
The Paralympic Games are scheduled from August 28 to September 8 in Paris and will be available for viewing on Peacock.
Read related myGwork articles here:
A Record Number Of Out Athletes Are Participating In The Paralympics
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