Right-wingers claim trans women have unfair advantage in hot dog-eating contests

An anti-trans website devoted to denigrating trans women athletes seems to believe that trans women even have advantages in sports like darts, poker, esports, and yes, hot dog eating contests.

SheWon.org, which purports to be entirely volunteer-run, provides a list of cisgender women athletes and the victories they allegedly would have secured in various competitions had a trans woman not beaten them.

Related: Trans darts star faces “insane” backlash after winning titles against both men & women in same week

“Transgender women have a biological advantage at… Darts?” questioned activist Erin Reed.

This list includes Nathan’s Famous 2021 July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest, which occurs annually at New York’s Coney Island.

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The SheWon list names three women who would have come in first, second, and third place (rather than 2nd, 3rd, and 4th) had the actual winner, competitive eater Michelle Lesco, not won first place.

The kicker: Lesco is not even transgender. There have long been rumors about her gender identity, which likely stemmed from a 2021 podcast in which Australian football player Sam Newman mocked Lesco for being trans, though it’s unclear where he got that information.

But on Wednesday, Lesco responded to a post on X about the list to confirm her cisgender identity. “Just goes to show that people are more than willing to spread misinformation if it feeds outrage and vitriol,” she wrote before identifying herself as the 2021 winner and a “biological female.”

Just goes to show that people are more than willing to spread misinformation if it feeds outrage and vitriol.
– Michelle, 2021 Nathan’s Hot Dog Champion (women’s division), and biological female

— Cardboard Shell (@cardboardshell) April 11, 2024

SheWon.org has been getting some attention as of late. Anti-LGBTQ+ Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), posted a link to it on X and claimed that it highlights the wins that were “stolen from female athletes because of biological men wrongfully competing in women’s sports.” In reality, women’s sports are harmed far more by sexism and unequal funding.

One commenter pointed out that Mace basically handed the Democrats an argument in favor of trans inclusion, as the list identifies a minuscule number of trans NCAA athletes out of the more than 500,000 total competitors overseen by the collegiate sporting organization.

Thanks Nancy. Great push back because @TheDemocrats have a @DNC talking point email explaining about only 33 Trans NCAA athletes out of 500,000+ total athletes.
Not a word about all the races, the medals & scholarships lost to girls and women.

— A Thoughtful Man (@r_walles) April 10, 2024

The commenter made a common point: that the vendetta against trans athletes is a problem concocted by Republicans to stoke fear. Not only are trans athletes not “dominating” in sports the way transphobes claim they are, but there are barely any even competing compared to the number of cisgender athletes.

In some states with anti-trans sports bans, Republicans have not even been able to name a time when trans athletes have ever caused a problem in their state.

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