The Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS) reported on X (formerly Twitter) that the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU) suspended athlete April Hutchinson for two years for publicly calling one of her male opponents a "biological man."
"Her crime? Calling her male powerlifting opponent a “biological man” on the [Piers Morgan] show while advocating for fair sports for women & girls," said ICONS, which defines itself as a "network and advocacy group comprised of current and former collegiate and professional women athletes and their families and supporters."
The Canadian Powerlifting Union has suspended female athlete April Hutchinson from the sport for 2 years‼️
Her crime? Calling her male powerlifting opponent a “biological man” on the @piersmorgan show while advocating for fair sports for women & girls. https://t.co/ZLIF4XGCow
— ICONS (@icons_women) November 7, 2023
Hutchinson herself disclosed on her X account that she had made an official "written (private) complaint" to the organization for feeling "male bullying" from her opponent. The CPU described the situation as "frivolous and vexatious." The athlete revealed that she had sent a letter to the CPU, which discredited all accusations:
"BREAKING:
I now face a 2-year ban by the CPU for speaking publicly about the unfairness of biological males being allowed to taunt female competitors & loot their winnings.Apparently, I have failed in my gender-role duties as “supporting actress” in the horror show that is my… pic.twitter.com/CJxVZtG0VA
— April Hutchinson (@Lea_Christina4) November 7, 2023
Following this, she received a response informing her of the suspension for a period of two years.
