UPDATE
Sep 10, 2024 10:00 AM CDT
Valentina Petrillo's run at the Paralympic Games is over, but she hopes "a transformation for transgender people" has only just begun. The 51-year-old sprinter, who transitioned from male to female in 2019, spoke out about the "transphobia" she's encountered, including from JK Rowling, in a Monday interview with the UK Times. "Rowling is only concerned about the fact that I use the female toilet, but she doesn't know anything about me," said the visually impaired Italian, who described an "information problem," with criticism of trans athletes generally stemming from prejudice, per the Independent. "People said men would go to compete as women just so they could win, but that has not happened at all," she said.
Sep 4, 2024 6:03 AM CDT
JK Rowling slammed Algerian boxer Imane Khelif for competing in the Paris Olympics as a woman, despite the fact that Khelif was born a biological female and identifies as such. Now, the Harry Potter writer is going after a trans athlete in the Paralympics, despite the fact that Khelif sued her and others for their gender-questioning remarks. After Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo qualified Monday for the semifinals in the women's T12 400-meter race, Rowling took to X to air her thoughts. "Why all the anger about the inspirational Petrillo? The cheat community has never had this kind of visibility!" Rowling posted on Monday.
Rowling went on: "Out and proud cheats like Petrillo prove the era of cheat-shaming is over. What a role model! I say we give Lance Armstrong his medals back and move on." She ended with the hashtags #Cheat and #NoShame. Deadline notes that Petrillo, now 51, took part in men's track and field competitions until about six years ago, nabbing some national titles. She was allowed to compete in the Paralympics in the women's field because World Para Athletics permits athletes legally recognized as women to take part, as long as their testosterone has fallen below a particular level for at least a year.
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This time around, Petrillo—diagnosed as a teen with Stargardt disease, a genetic eye condition that causes one to progressively lose their vision—didn't fare as well: She was knocked out of the finals, and gold medal territory, after placing third in the semifinals round later Monday, per the AP. Andrew Parsons, head of the International Paralympic Committee, had previously said that Petrillo would be "welcome" at the Games, and that he hoped the sports world would soon "unite" over transgender policies. Meanwhile, tennis great Martina Navratilova also weighed in on Petrillo's Paralympics participation, tweeting that the IPC's policy was "regressive." (More JK Rowling stories.)
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