Woman Boxer Declines to Compete Against Transgender Boxer in Championship Match

The 2023 Provincial Golden Glove Championship in Quebec, Canada, recently came into the spotlight when Katia Bissonnette, a Canadian female boxer, pulled out of a championship bout against a transgender competitor. This action ignited a discussion about the participation of transgender athletes in sports, bringing up issues of safety, identity, and fairness.

The boxing community and the public were taken aback by Bissonnette’s last-minute withdrawal from the match. She had been training for the championship and was ready to compete when she discovered that her opponent, Mya Walmsley, was a transgender athlete who had never fought as a woman before. This information led Bissonnette to rethink her involvement in the match.

In a conversation with Reduxx, Bissonnette detailed the events that led to her withdrawal. She shared that her coach was informed via text message that Mya Walmsley was not assigned female at birth. Although the information was limited, it raised concerns for Bissonnette and her team due to uncertainties about Walmsley’s competitive background and transition history.

Mya Walmsley, originally from Australia, had relocated to Canada to study at Concordia University in Montreal. Bissonnette highlighted that Walmsley would have competed as a man in Australia, and his Quebec boxing record showed no fights as a woman. This absence of a competitive history as a female boxer in Quebec contributed to the doubts surrounding the match.

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Following her withdrawal from the competition, Katia Bissonnette faced criticism from Mya Walmsley, who accused her of not directly addressing her concerns with him or his coach. Walmsley expressed disappointment that Bissonnette chose to involve the media instead of seeking more information from the relevant authorities or initiating a dialogue with the athletes involved. He argued that such actions expose athletes to the risk of exclusion and personal attacks based on rumors.

Walmsley stressed the significance of trust among athletes regarding gender identification, advocating for a system where athletes respect each other’s self-identified genders. In contrast, Bissonnette insisted on the need for transparency in competition rules and policies and argued against placing athletes in situations of uncertainty. She pointed out that Boxing Canada had issued a rule to the Quebec Boxing Federation prohibiting the disclosure of an opponent’s transgender status to prevent discrimination. However, this policy was intended for cases where a sex change had occurred before puberty, and Walmsley’s transition history, as an international athlete, was unclear.

A primary concern for Bissonnette was the potential safety risk of competing against a transgender athlete. She referenced a 2020 study from the University of Utah, which found that blows from males had 163% more impact than those from females, even when adjusted for weight. Bissonnette contended that women should not be subjected to the physical and psychological risks associated with competing against individuals who were assigned male at birth.

Bissonnette was clear in her stance on gender categories in sports: she believed there should be separate categories for biological males and females to ensure fair competition and address safety concerns.