A 50-year-old transgender female who joined a California community college basketball team saw her first game action this season, her coach said. Gabrielle Ludwig, who stands 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, checked into the game amid cheers of "Gabbi!" "Gabbi!" "Gabbi!" from fans of the Mission College women's basketball team. Whether it's fair for a former man who once played community college ball in his youth was a topic of discussion both in the gym and around the country, the Contra Costa Times of Walnut Creek, Calif., said Wednesday. NCAA rules stipulate a player's gender is determined solely by their birth certificate. Under California law, transgender individuals such as Ludwig, who underwent gender reassignment surgery in July, can be granted a new birth certificate with proof of having the operation. In August, Mission College coach Corey Cafferata learned Ludwig was interested in joining the team. Along with the school's athletic director, they researched NCAA rules on transgender athletes and found as long as she could present a birth certificate proving she was a female, there was nothing stopping Ludwig from joining the team. In fact, the NCAA went as far as to grant her two full years of eligibility, ruling her season spent playing as a man in her youth was credited to her former male birth certificate. Ludwig told USA TODAY she wanted to join the team not just to play basketball, but to serve as an example for other transgender athletes. "If the example I can set for the kids who are transgenders in high school, for the people who hate transgender people and for those learning to deal with transgenders, transsexuals, if they see me as a normal person and we are not the boogeyman and love life and raise kids just like you," others will benefit, she said. Cafferata said he hasn't heard much by way of criticism yet that Ludwig's towering frame isn't a fair matchup for other, smaller players. But, he predicted, if she becomes a success and dominates the league, some might complain. Though in her debut, she was a non-factor, hitting three free throws and pulling in two rebounds while missing all five shots from the field. "If she plays like she played [in her first game], nobody will give a hoot because she wasn't a factor," Cafferata said. "If she starts going 20 points, 20 rebounds, playing 30 minutes a game, that's when it's going to happen."
GMT 22:27 2018 Thursday ,13 December
Russian swimmer Prigoda takes gold in China with new WR in men’s 200m breaststrokeGMT 11:54 2018 Tuesday ,11 December
Ajax and Bayern in tasty Champions League duel for first placeGMT 17:44 2018 Tuesday ,23 October
Russian UFC Champ Nurmagomedov’s win was "fair and square"GMT 21:29 2018 Friday ,19 October
Moscow to host 2020 European Weightlifting ChampionshipsGMT 16:48 2018 Monday ,15 October
Russian fighter Nurmagomedov may be suspended for six monthsGMT 18:14 2018 Sunday ,07 October
Russia’s Nurmagomedov crushes McGregor, defends UFC titleGMT 17:44 2018 Thursday ,04 October
Underdogs CSKA beat Real Madrid in Moscow while a man downGMT 16:40 2018 Sunday ,02 September
Unified Korean team delivers historic medals, hopesMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor