A bench press record set by a transgender powerlifter was dethroned by a protesting man – who mockingly identified as a female to compete in a women’s Canadian weight lifting competition – and handily trounced the other trans athlete.
In a protest against Canada’s “gender self-identification” policies in sports, male powerlifting coach Avi Silverberg unofficially broke the women’s bench press record, originally a 270 pound lift, achieved by a biologically male “transgender” woman.
Silverberg’s crushing of the female bench press record took place last weekend in Lethbridge, Alberta, at the Heroes Classic tournament in protest of rules laid out by the Canadian Powerlifting Union, Daily Mail reports.
A male powerlifting coach self-identified as a woman and broke a women's benchpress record in protest of gender self-identification in sport.
Avi Silverberg performed the defiant act while the current record holder, a transgender male, watched.
READ: https://t.co/MXiyiGMgWQ pic.twitter.com/7J1b4iHlFG
— REDUXX (@ReduxxMag) March 28, 2023
According to reports, anyone who seemingly claims to be a female is allowed to compete in the women’s powerlifting competitions due to a new CPU “trans inclusion policy” based on guidance from Canada’s “Center for Ethics in Sport.”
The original record holder, transgender lifter Anne Andres, recently posted a video online in February explaining his confusion as to why women cannot lift as much weight as men.
“Why is women’s bench so bad?” Andres said. “I mean, not compared to me, we all know that I’m a tr**ny freak, so that doesn’t count. I mean, standard bench in powerlifting competitions for women. I literally don’t understand why it’s so bad.”
🏋️Trans identifying male, Anne Andres is Alberta Canada's women's powerlifting record holder in bench
🚨competes next month in women's category at the 2023 CPU National Championships🚩Recognizes no understanding of upper body strength differences btw males & females
🧵 pic.twitter.com/DYEyEWZTLr— ICONS Women (@icons_women) January 4, 2023
ICONS Women, a group that defends biological women’s rights in sports, criticized Andres for failing to understand strength differences between men and women.
“Trans identifying male, Anne Andres is Alberta Canada’s women’s powerlifting record holder in bench competes next month in women’s category at the 2023 CPU National Championships,” wrote the group.
“Recognizes no understanding of upper body strength differences btw males & females.”
🏋️♂️ Team Canada powerlifting coach, Avi Silverberg just broke the Alberta WOMEN's bench press record in the 84+ kg category at the "Heroes Classic."
Former record holder, trans-identifying male, Anne Andres had a front row view as Silverberg mocked the discriminatory CPU policy… pic.twitter.com/ajhUJPB4gc
— ICONS Women (@icons_women) March 27, 2023
According to ICONS Women, Andres “had a front row view as Silverberg mocked the discriminatory CPU policy…”
“A male powerlifting coach self-identified as a woman and broke a women’s benchpress record in protest of gender self-identification in sport. Avi Silverberg performed the defiant act while the current record holder, a transgender male, watched,” the group tweeted.
Andres has since posted numerous videos calling Silverberg “a coward and a bigot” who smashed the women’s bench press record with “malicious intent.”
Follow Andrew on Twitter @whiteaf5.
