• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
BarBend

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Top Athletes
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • Competition Results
    • Latest Research
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini Massage Guns
      • Individual Recovery Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Whey Protein Powders
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainers
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
        • Best Fat Burners for Men
        • Best Fat Burners for Women
        • Best Non-Stim Fat Burners
      • More Supplements
        • Best Supplements for Muscle Growth
        • Best Supplements for CrossFit
        • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
        • Best Supplements for Bodybuilding
        • Best Supplements for Men
        • Best Supplement Stacks
      • Individual Supplements Reviews
    • Equipment
      • Cardio
        • Best Treadmills
        • Best Rowing Machines
        • Best Exercise Bikes
        • Best Ellipticals
        • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Strength
        • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
        • Best Dumbbells
        • Best Kettlebells
        • Best Barbells
        • Best Squat Racks
        • Best Free Weights
        • Best Weight Benches
        • Best Resistance Bands
        • Best Slam Balls
        • Best Weighted Vests
        • Best Leg Extension Machines
        • Best Cable Machines
        • Best Power Racks
        • Best Pull Up Bars
      • Best Home Gyms
        • Best Smart Home Gyms
        • Best Gym Equipment Under $100
        • Best Home Gym Essentials
        • Best Home Gym Flooring
      • Individual Equipment Reviews
    • Fitness Accessories
      • Apparel
        • Best Weightlifting Shoes
        • Best Cross Training Shoes
        • Best Gym Bags
        • Best Gym Shorts
      • Training
        • Best Weightlifting Belts
        • Best Knee Sleeves
        • Best Lifting Straps
        • Best Grip Strengtheners
        • Best Wrist Wraps
        • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Individual Fitness Product Reviews
    • Certifications
      • Best Sports Nutrition Certifications
      • Best Personal Trainer Certifications
      • Best Nutrition Certifications
      • Individual Certifications Reviews
    • Programs
      • Best Online Workout Programs
      • Best Workout Streaming Services
      • Best Home Workout Programs
      • Individual Program Reviews
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Nutrition Tips
      • Daily Protein Needs
      • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
      • Foods With Creatine
      • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Bent-Over Row
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Crunches
      • Farmer’s Carry
    • Best Exercises
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Back Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Glute Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Hamstring Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Calf Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
      • Triceps Exercises
    • Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • German Volume Training
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • The Cube Method
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Build Your Own Program
    • Fat Loss
      • How to Burn Fat
      • Spot Fat Reduction
      • How to Train on a Cut
      • Body Conditioning
      • Workouts
        • Kettlebell Circuits
        • Dumbbell Complexes
        • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Muscle Gain
      • Muscle Hypertrophy Explained
      • How to Build Muscle
      • How to Maintain Muscle
      • What Researchers Say About Muscle Gain
        • Workouts
          • 20-Minute Workouts
          • Kettlebell Circuits
          • CrossFit Workouts for Muscle
          • Bodybuilding Workouts
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
News

CrossFit Will Allow Transgender Athletes to Compete Starting During 2019 Games Season

Written by Nick English
Last updated on August 5th, 2023

CrossFit’s CEO and founder Greg Glassman has announced that transgender athletes will be allowed to compete in the 2019 CrossFit Games season.

As reported by Them, Glassman made the announcement at an event held in Madison this Friday by LGBTQ+ CrossFit group OUTWOD, to whom Glassman also presented a $10,000 check from the CrossFit Foundation. He said,

In the 2019 CrossFit competitive season, starting with the Open, transgender athletes are welcome to participate in the division with which they identify. This is the right thing to do. CrossFit believes in the potential, capacity, and dignity of every athlete. We are proud of our LGBT community, including our transgender athletes, and we want you here with us.

He steps up to the microphone at the 3:50 mark in the video below.

CrossFit has been criticized by LGBTQ+ organizations in the past for not allowing transgender athletes to compete in the division of their identity, with GLAAD launching a petition a few years ago to change the policy in response to a 2014 incident regarding Chloie Jonsson. A transgender personal trainer based in California, Jonsson was denied the right to compete as a woman in that year’s CrossFit Games season. She sued, charging CrossFit with discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress and unfair competition.

In a letter that her lawyer shared with CNN, one of HQ’s lawyers was quoted as saying,

The fundamental, ineluctable fact is that a male competitor who has a sex reassignment procedure still has a genetic makeup that confers a physical and physiological advantage over women. (…)

Our decision has nothing to do with ‘ignorance’ or being bigots — it has to do with a very real understanding of the human genome, of fundamental biology, that you are either intentionally ignoring or missed in high school.

The case was settled out of court.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chloie Jönsson (@chlojonsson)

Many other sporting bodies, including the International Olympic Committee, have instituted guidelines that do allow trans athletes to compete, sometimes requiring the competitor to have undergone sex reassignment surgery or to have been taking hormones for a certain period of time.

[Learn more: What it’s like competing in powerlifting as a transgender man.]

The announcement comes two months after the departure of CrossFit’s “Chief Knowledge Officer” Russell Berger, who posted a string of tweets this June in which he said that “celebrating ‘pride’ is a sin” and that “the intolerance of the LGBTQ ideology toward any alternative views is mind-blowing.” This was in response to an incident in the Indianapolis area where a box’s owners canceled an OUTWOD-sponsored Pride event because they felt the event did not “value health and wellness.”

Glassman responded by firing Berger and publicly saying he should “take a big dose of ‘shut the fuck up,'” adding that he (Glassman) was “crazy proud of the gay community in CrossFit.”

Judging by the outpouring of support reported by Them from LGBTQ+ CrossFit athletes around the country, this latest move to legitimize transgender athletes is already having a big impact on the organization’s relationship with the community.

Featured image via @chlojonsson on Instagram.

About Nick English

Nick is a content producer and journalist with over seven years’ experience reporting on four continents. Since moving to New York City in 2013 he's been writing on health and fitness full time for outlets like BarBend, Men's Health, VICE, and Popular Science.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

Ashley Kaltwasser’s Tricks For Longevity in Competitive Bikini Bodybuilding

Enahoro Asein (83KG) Deadlifts a Monster 355-Kilogram (783-Pound) Triple Raw

2023 Rising Phoenix and Arizona Pro Women’s Bodybuilding Show Preview

2023 Sheru Classic France Pro Bodybuilding Show Preview

2023 Daytona Pro-Am Bodybuilding Show Preview

Latest Reviews

Alaskan Cold Plunge Feature

Redwood Outdoors Alaskan Cold Plunge Review

Living.Fit Grip Strengthener Review

Bells of Steel Competition Kettlebell Review

Bells of Steel Barenaked Powerlifting Bar 2.0 Review

REP BlackWing Feature

REP Fitness BlackWing Weight Bench Review

Be the smartest person in your gym

The BarBend newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I Want In!
BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2023 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap