The Pacific Games were held in Samoa this month. A biological man stood above two Pacific Island women on the podium. “With their silver and bronze medals, they were stony-faced. Feagaiga Stowers and Iuniarra Sipaia should have worn gold and silver.” Missing from the photo was Charisma Amoa Tarrant. Rightfully the third-place medal belonged to her but as blogger Daphna Whitmore has written, female athletes have been sent to the back of the bus and told to stop complaining.

For over two years voices have been raised about the unfairness to womenweightlifters competing against Laurel Hubbard, a former competitive male weightlifter.  Those voices have been ignored and shouted over. Women are told to stop being nasty and get to the back of the bus. 

[…] Gender ideology teaches that Hubbard’s win was a brave and wonderful thing. To the non-believers, Hubbard is a male-bodied athlete who should not compete against females.

Daniel Leo, a top NZ-born Samoan international rugby player, witnessing the travesty, has spoken up:

Leo cannot unsee the injustice and clearly will not be muzzled by the gender ideology clergy:

Indeed,  Samoa fa’afafine (third gender) people compete in sports but they are in the male divisions. Fa’afafine don’t muscle into female divisions.

[…] Samoa’s prime minister has spoken up too: This fa’afafine or man should have never been allowed by the Pacific Games Council President to lift with the women,” he said. “I was shocked when I first heard about it.”

Is this just being cruel to transgender people who want to compete as women? Where does the line get drawn?  Should sportswomen turn the other cheek to accommodate the needs of transwomen? Is it a rare event? There are eight transgender players on Iran’s women’s national football team. There is your answer.

The rules which currently allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s divisions need to be changed. Samoa, a tiny Pacific island, is leading the conversation.