When Laurel Hubbard, a 43-year-old weightlifter from New Zealand, makes her first attempt in the women¡¯s heavyweight competition Monday, she will become the first openly transgender female athlete to compete at the Olympics.
Yet she will do so amid a debate over whether she should be at the Games at all.
Athletes, advocates for women¡¯s sports and fair-sport campaigners have questioned whether Hubbard, who competed in men¡¯s competitions before quitting the sport more than a decade ago, has an unfair advantage. Others believe the Games¡¯ binary categories fail to account for a diverse group of athletes.
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