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Katia Bissonnette: Fighter withdraws from match upon learning by chance that her opponent is a trans-identifying male

Writer's picture: Nat La PirateNat La Pirate

Updated: Dec 7, 2024

An amateur boxer decided to withdraw from a fight because her opponent was a trans-identifying male athlete, information she learned almost by chance.

Katia Bissonnette, the female fighter who pulled herself from boxing match versus trans identifying male competitor.

Katia Bissonnette from Saguenay did not participate in the provincial boxing championship held in Drummondville last weekend.


The 36-year-old athlete was one of two boxers registered in her novice weight class category, with five fights. Novices who have competed in five fights are eligible for provincial competitions.


In The Dark


Katia Bissonnette claims that she would have liked to have been informed about her opponent's condition. Instead, she learned just an hour before the fight, almost by chance, that her opponent is transgender.

Her coach received a text from another person a few minutes before the confrontation, informing him that her rival was actually a transgender person.


There are no regulations prohibiting the registration of a transgender person, and Boxing Quebec states that they follow the rules of Boxing Canada.


The self-employed woman decided not to take the risk of participating in the fight.


"We had no information. So there was no free and informed consent on my part about it, so for me... Do we need results, tests? No one had thought about that before," she explains.

The woman who practices the sport recreationally does not want to be injured due to a lack of regulation.

"It can still have quite serious consequences," she adds.

Coach On Board


Her coach also criticizes the lack of guidelines but does not oppose the participation of a transgender person in competitions. He calls for more oversight.


"It's as if they're trying to sell it to me as if it's completely normal, but for now... there's a big gray area in there. In boxing, we hit each other. If there are risks for a female boxer, I lack information to make an informed decision," explains Denis Gravel, the coach of the Chicoutimi Boxing Club.


Katia Bissonnette says she does not blame Boxing Quebec or her opponent, whom she has not met. She is ready to continue her career and will participate in a tournament at the end of the month in Rimouski. Although the WBC (World Boxing Council) made a statement claiming new categories would be introduced for trans-identifying fighters, Boxing Canada seems to have flipped them the bird.

World  Boxing Council Statement/Guidelines Regarding Transgender Athletes

To you, Katia, I raise a toast. We need more athletes like you to stand up and say NO!



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2 תגובות


אורח
21 בנוב׳ 2023

Total crap.

לייק

אורח
05 בנוב׳ 2023

Withdrawing is cute but she needs to file a Human Rights complaint. This is the problem in Canada. Sex is a protected category. It’s protected in federal and provincial law and the Charter. Activists came along and had “gender identity“ added to the list of protected groups. This does not override the sex category. They are equal in protections EXCEPT Courts have already ruled that trans women are not women and that female-only services, groups, etc are legal because females have female specific needs. So Sex overrides trans identity. Problem is sporting authorities are taking legal advice from males who identify as trans and want in. These activists harass them 24/7 to prioritize their wants. Until a woman files …

לייק
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