Man who had sex change gets women's cycling spot
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Fri August 09 2002
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Posted Aug 9, 2002
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TORONTO -- A man who had a sex change six years ago has won a spot on the Canadian women's downhill mountain biking team.
Michelle Dumaresq, formerly Michael, will compete at the World Mountain Biking Championships this month in Kaprun, Austria.
But the decision brought protests Tuesday from some of Dumaresq's new teammates, who say she should not be allowed to race against women.
"Something there just doesn't seem right to me," Sylvie Allen, the Canadian champion, told the National Post.
Dumaresq, 32, said she was too overjoyed at her selection to be fazed by the protests.
"I'm just totally excited to be a part of a team representing Canada," she said.
Dumaresq is facing a formal protest led by Allen and Cassandra Boon, another national team member, who have called on the International Cycling Union to ban Dumaresq from competing against women.
Their letter recommended the ICU not prohibit Dumaresq from competing altogether, but create a category for her, called "transgendered."