Team Canada women’s powerlifter April Hutchinson was initially hammered with a two-year suspension by the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU) after criticizing a male-born trans-identified powerlifter who competes as a woman.
Canadian powerlifter @Lea_Christina4 speaks out after transgender powerlifter broke woman’s record.
“A lot of women yesterday dropped out of the competition because they knew that Anne [Andres] would be lifting.”
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) August 14, 2023
April was accused of harassment and “misgendering” after taking to social media to complain that a biological male, who goes by Anne Andres, had been allowed to compete against female competitors.
A man who thinks he’s a “woman,” Anne Andres, entered the women’s division of the Western Canadian Powerlifting Championships over the weekend. The result was a massacre. The second place finisher, an actual female, got a combined score across three lifts of 387 kilograms. “Anne”… pic.twitter.com/Rcl7smE7io
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 14, 2023
Andres openly mocked the women he beat on his own social media accounts.
Anne Andres (male who identifies and competes as a woman) doesn’t understand why female powerlifters are so “bad” at bench press….well idk Anne, but maybe it’s because you have 20 times more testosterone than them. Just a thought…. pic.twitter.com/klxd4WaoYc
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) February 17, 2023
Rebel News assisted in offsetting the costs of the legal review of April’s suspension through crowdfunded efforts at www.StandWithApril.com.
“Advocating for women’s sex-based rights and protections is about fairness and equality, not harassment,” argued Hutchinson in her written appeal. “If women cannot state biological reality without being accused of harassment, then women cannot protest against the sex-based discrimination occurring against us. We are effectively silenced.”
According to a Friday afternoon press release from April’s lawyer, Lisa Bildy of Libertas Law, the single arbitrator tasked with reviewing the decision concluded that the CPU’s decision to discipline Hutchinson was reasonable, based on its broad definition of harassment in its Code of Conduct and Ethics.
Sheila Gunn Reid provides an update on the case of April Hutchinson, the female powerlifter facing a two-year suspension for calling out a biological male competing in the women’s division.
Visit Rebel News for more on this story by @SheilaGunnReid: https://t.co/Hw2kNCSmEr pic.twitter.com/3xHEuYN4UM
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) November 18, 2023
However, since the CPU’s decision was “procedurally imperfect”, he ruled that Hutchinson’s suspension should be reduced from two years to one.
April, meanwhile, has changed the sport for the better, making it more fair for women.
The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) pressured the CPU to comply with its stricter requirements, which it did in November. Now, a male athlete can no longer simply “identify” as a woman and immediately compete.
“I am grateful to the IPF for implementing a stricter policy,” said Hutchinson. “I’ve had nothing but a great relationship with the president. He’s been wonderful to work with. This accomplishment means more to me than any gold medal. And I have found my calling which is advocacy for fair sport for women.”
Unfortunately for April, there is no further appeal process available.