Transgender US cyclist Veronica Ivy, formerly known as Rachel McKinnon, wrote in the New York Times recently that she had received far more hate – including numerous death threats – following a Twitter rant by Donald Trump Jr. about her victory at the UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships in October.
Trump Jr. had written: "This BS will destroy women's sports and everything so many amazing female athletes have worked their entire lives to achieve.
I couldn't care less how you identify, but this isn't right."
Dr. Ivy’s Instagram and Twitter accounts have been hit with wave after wave of trolling and hate, to the point that her social media teams have struggled to contain it all. Instagram has been awash with hate, but Twitter, Ivy says, is worse. Her Twitter account has been hit been hundreds of death threats, from irate men who need to jump on the next Trump bandwagon.
"Soon after my win, Donald Trump Jr threw a Twitter tantrum about me. I've seen a huge uptick in the volume of hate mail I've received in the weeks since.
The people attacking her want her to compete against men, but Ivy points out that as per the law, and as per the rules of several cycling organizations, she is female, and only eligible to participate in women’s events.
She said: "Many want me to race against men. I have news for them: I'm not allowed. I'm legally female. My birth certificate, passport, driver's license, U.S. permanent resident card, medical records and my racing license all have an 'F' on them.
"The Union Cycliste Internationale, USACycling, Cycling Canada, the Canadian and United States governments and the state of South Carolina all agree that I'm female.
Other trolls complain about how she would have an "unfair advantage" over genetically female athletes, but Ivy had stats to shut them up as well.
"Consider this: I lose most of my races. I won five out of 22 events in 2019; none of those I won were against strong international fields.
"The woman who took second place to me in the masters world championship sprint event, Dawn Orwick, beat me just days earlier in the 500-meter time trial.
"In the 12 times I've raced against Jennifer Wagner, who finished third to my first place in the sprint event in 2018, she beat me in seven. Wagner has beaten me more times than I've beaten her, head-to-head.
