“The first of many”
A trans woman competes at the Paralympics for the first time
Valentina Petrillo is the first trans woman to compete in the Paralympics. After the gender debate surrounding Imane Khelif and Lin Yuting, the next big issue is looming. Petrillo says she is “not afraid” and wants to inspire others.
Valentina Petrillo is preparing for Paris mentally as well as physically – she knows why. The first trans woman at the Paralympics has been fully aware since the huge Olympic debate that the most important moment of her career could degenerate into a (sports) political witch hunt. “I know that I will be criticized, that people will not understand why I am doing this,” the athlete told the AFP news agency: “But I am here, I have fought for this for years and I am not afraid.”
The runner, who suffers from Stargardt's disease – a rare eye disease – will compete in the 200 and 400 m in the T12 category. After the New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who made a first at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo as the first trans person, the 50-year-old will make Paralympic history.
The next political issue could be imminent. The Olympic Games have fuelled the gender debate in sport more than ever before, with Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif complaining of “vicious campaigns” and “digital lynching” against herself and her fellow competitor Lin Yuting. For weeks, a degrading discussion was held about her biological gender, and the legitimacy of her participation in the women's competition was questioned.
“With the handbrake on”
Petrillo's German competitor Katrin Müller-Rottgardt expressed cautious doubts about the fairness of the competition in an interview with the “Bild” newspaper. Of course, everyone should live the way that is right for them, “but I find it difficult in competitive sport. She has lived and trained as a man for a long time, so it is clear that her physical requirements are different to those of someone who was born a woman. This could give her an advantage.” She would like, said Müller-Rottgardt, “a clear position from the international association in the interests of us athletes.”
Petrillo went by the name Fabrizio until she began her gender reassignment surgery in 2019 and won numerous para-athletics competitions, having previously played for Italy's national blind futsal team. But she wasn't herself. “I was running as if I had the handbrake on and I wasn't happy,” said Petrillo. “Certainly not as happy as I am now, even though I'm a little older.”
People who are trans* do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. Some also use the term Transgender. Some have felt like they were in the “wrong body” since childhood, while others realize over the course of their lives that they feel neither male nor female, for example. It is irrelevant whether medical measures such as hormone treatment or gender reassignment are carried out. Trans* functions here as an umbrella term that includes other terms such as “transident”, “transgender” or “transsexual”. The asterisk serves as a placeholder for the various endings. Trans* people describe themselves in many different ways. Some explicitly describe themselves as trans* women or trans* men, others do not assign a clear gender identity.
Unlike boxers Khelif and Lin, whose gender was debated until recently, Petrillo's legal situation is at least fairly transparent. Years ago, she used hormone therapy to reduce her testosterone levels to such an extent that she meets the international eligibility requirements for women's para-athletics competitions.
Petrillo wants source of inspiration
Petrillo is far from being outdone by her international competitors, not least because of her advanced age for an athlete. Her greatest success is winning bronze in the 200 metres at the World Championships in Paris in 2023 – and that was only due to a disqualification of Müller-Rottgardt. A dominant Olympic victory like that of boxer Khelif would be a surprise.
Whether purely sporting or not, Petrillo wants to use the hustle and bustle surrounding her at the Paralympics (28 August to 8 September) – and become a role model. She wants to be “the first of many”, “a reference point for others, a source of inspiration. My experiences can be useful for other people, regardless of whether they have a visual impairment or not, whether they are trans or not.”
