Transgender athletes Lia Thomas and Valentina Petrillo responded to Elon Musk’s explosive appeal against a global boycott of sporting events that allow biological males to compete in women’s categories. The tech mogul’s comments, which many call provocative, have sparked a backlash within the sports and LGBTQ+ communities.
In a strongly worded statement, NCAA swimming champion Lia Thomas, whose participation in the women’s races made national headlines, accused Musk of “height-hating under the auspices of equity.”
“Elon Musk isn’t a sports authority. He’s a billionaire playing the culture war from behind a screen,” Thomas said. “Trans women aren’t cheating. We’re athletes who train, compete, and feel at home.”
Even Italian Paralympian Valentina Petrillo, the first transgender woman to compete in women’s track and field in Europe, condemned Musk’s statements, calling them “dangerous, dehumanizing, and based on fear, not facts.”
“This kind of rhetoric puts human life at risk,” Petrillo warned. “It fosters discrimination and undermines everything that sport represents: inclusion, perseverance, and respect.”
The backlash follows Musk’s viral post on X (formerly Twitter), in which he called for a boycott of competitions “that allow biological males to knock women off the podium” and proposed severe penalties for what he called “gender fraud” in sport.
While some conservative commentators and women’s rights advocates have applauded Musk’s stance, critics say his comments ignore the complexity of the issue and further stigmatize an already vulnerable group.
Major LGBTQ+ advocacy groups urged sports sponsors and organizations to publicly report Musk’s remarks. Meanwhile, several transgender athletes have reported an increase in online harassment and abuse since Musk’s post went viral.
Despite the outcry, Musk doubled down, tweeting late Monday night:
If this offends people, maybe you should reconsider the importance of fairness in sports. I won’t apologize for telling the truth.
As the debate reaches new levels of hostility, sports federations around the world are now under renewed pressure to take a stand, one way or another.
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