Transphobia has not stopped at the Olympic Games: it has spread to the Paralympic Games, which are currently taking place in Paris. After Imane Khelif, wrongly accused of lying about her birth gender, it is the turn of transgender athlete Valentina Petrillo to suffer nauseating attacks on social networks.
Sprinter faces wave of hate
At 51, Valentina Petrillo will represent Italy in the 400m sprint in the T12 category (visually impaired), after qualifying in the semi-finals on Monday, September 2, 2024. A source of pride for the sportswoman, the first transgender athlete at the Paralympic Games, who tells AFP that she is “living her childhood dream”: “This will be the most important moment of my sporting career.” Because she narrowly missed qualifying for the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Unfortunately, Valentina Petrillo’s joy is tinged with bitterness, because of the ambient transphobia. On social networks, for several days, the sprinter has been subjected to a mountain of transphobic insults, her detractors judging it “unfair” that she is allowed to compete alongside “biological women”. Especially since the athlete had started her career before her transition. “When I was a man, I was not myself. I always ran with the handbrake on.”
In 2019, Valentina Petrillo began hormone therapy, two years after coming out. Her testosterone levels, divided by four, now allow her to participate in sports events as a woman. She notably won two bronze medals in the 200 and 400 meters at the 2023 world championships in Paris.
JK Rowling spearheads criticism
Author known worldwide for the books of the “Harry Potter” saga, JK Rowling is now more talked about for her transphobic positions. Imane Khelif notably filed a complaint against her after her comments about her, which did not prevent the writer from attacking the Italian athlete.
On X, the author posted a sarcastic message, in which she wrote, while misgendering the athlete: “Why all the anger about the inspiring (sic) Petrillo? The cheating community has never had this kind of visibility! Proud cheaters like Petrillo prove that the era of cheat-shaming is over. What a role model! I say we give Lance Armstrong his medals back and move on.”
Two-time Olympic marathoner Mara Yamauchi was also among those who criticized the sprinter’s inclusion in the women’s categories. “This makes me seethe,” she tweeted as part of a lengthy thread. “A talented, hardworking, exceptional female athlete is excluded from the T12 400m because of a 50-year-old father performing on the world stage.”
Fortunately, Valentina Petrillo has also received a lot of support on social media. She told AFP that she had “prepared” herself for the transphobic criticism she was going to receive. “I fought for years to get here and I’m not afraid, I am me,” she said.
She can also count on the unwavering support of her club, ASD Omero Bergamo. “We absolutely wanted to avoid any form of discrimination, the visually impaired unfortunately know this problem too well and we did not want Valentina to experience that,” the club’s representative, Dario Merelli, told Franceinfo.
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