Na Hwa-rin was born a biological male in South Korea. She knew at 7 she was a female inside.
Na transitioned in 2022. South Korea recognizes her as a female.
Na has cycled for a long time. She wanted to keep racing, even after she transitioned.
But Na chose to race in a woman’s race to prove that, even after transitioning, biological males are physically superior to females.
It’s important to note that the Na did not win a professional race. Therefore, she did not “damage female athletes’ careers by winning.”
Na knew a victory would start conversations on both sides of the issue. The LGBT community cheered her victory at the Gangwon Sports Festival in eastern Gangwon Province. Others questioned the fairness of her win against biological females.
From The Korea Times:
Prior to her transition, Na had already made her mark as a competitive cyclist, earning several medals in men’s races at provincial sports festivals, even while undergoing hormone therapy. Although she found the success rewarding, her true ambition extended beyond simply winning.”I have no unresolved feelings over winning because that’s no longer what I want. My goal was to stir controversy and get my story heard by competing,” she said.When she crossed the finish line in the women’s race, she was “more relieved than triumphant,” because she felt she finally made her point about male physical superiority and gender inclusion in sports. At the same time, Na felt sorry for the female cyclists who competed against her and offered them energy drinks as a kind of apology during the race.”I am not honored. I am not proud of myself at all. I believe other transgender athletes would feel the same way. They may not want to admit it, but they’re being selfish. There is no honor as an athlete in that,” she said, referring to international transgender athletes who have sparked heated debate about the fairness of their competing against biological women after transitioning.
Na chose not to take up her qualification for the National Sports Festival: “I don’t want to make an issue to the point where I harm other people.”
Na wants a “third gender” category:
“It could be like how we have many weight divisions in some sports … Under the current binary system, women athletes will be discouraged and their hard work might not be recognized due to the participation of transgender athletes. At the same time, trans woman athletes, no matter how hard they worked, will never be truly honored for their wins. Honor is the goal that all athletes aspire to attain, but this is a situation where nobody will be honored. I think that shouldn’t happen,” Na said, emphasizing the need for a system where everyone can feel a sense of achievement.
Caitlyn Jenner gets it. Na Hwa-rin gets it. While I applaud biological females in sports for speaking up we need people like Caitlyn and Na.
It is unfair. I’m glad Na chose a race that wouldn’t impact anyone’s careers or qualifications for other races.
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