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A furious female skateboarder has slammed Red Bull for sponsoring a contest where she placed second to her trans rival.
Taylor Silverman claims she and other female competitors were disadvantaged by officials at the Red Bull Cornerstone Contest, where she placed second and received a $2,750 award.
Trans skateboarder Lillian Gallagher was awarded $5,000 for placing first and winning two separate divisions – money that Silverman says should have been given to her.
Silverman, who has been skateboarding for 11 years, said when she tried to reach out to officials to ‘do the right thing even if it’s not the popular thing,’ she was ignored.
‘I deserved to place first, be acknowledged for my win and get paid. I reached out to Redbull and was ignored. I am sick of being bullied into silence,’ Silverman wrote in an Instagram post, in which she tagged right-wing firebrands Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens.
The post has sparked an array of reactions, with users asking Silverman to have more empathy towards transgender women, while others have lashed out at her, telling her she simply needs to get better at skateboarding.
Silverman’s claims come at a time of heightened national debate about whether transgender individuals should participate in the traditional women and men categories in sports.
It is unclear in what city the contest took place. DailyMail.com has reached out to Silverman and Red Bull for comment.
Taylor Silverman (pictured) claims she and other female competitors were sidelined by officials at the Red Bull Cornerstone Contest, where she placed second and received a $2,750 award
Trans skateboarder Lillian Gallagher (pictured) was awarded $5,000 for placing first and winning two separate divisions – money that Silverman says should have been given to her
‘I deserved to place first, be acknowledged for my win and get paid. I reached out to Redbull and was ignored. I am sick of being bullied into silence,’ Silverman wrote in an Instagram post
It is unclear in what city the contest took place. DailyMail.com has reached out to Silverman and Red Bull for comment
‘My name is Taylor Silverman. I am a female athlete. I have been skateboarding for eleven years and competing for several years,’ Silverman wrote in the controversial post, which has garnered more than 14,000 likes and hundreds of comments.
She continued: ‘I have been in three different contests with trans women, two of which I placed second.’
‘At the last contest series I did for Redbull, I placed second. The trans competitor who won took $1,000 in qualifiers, $2,000 in finals and $1,000 in best trick.
‘This totaled to $5,000 of the prize money meant for the female athletes.’
Silverman went on to add that she took a total of $2,750 and ‘whoever would have placed third’ lost the award due to the Gallagher’s participation in the contest
Instagram users lashed out at Silverman, criticizing her skateboarding skills and insulting her performance.
‘ALSO IT’S CALLED WOMAN’S devison not the ‘female ‘ devision genitalia doesn’t play a part in the red bull comp,’ user @skatescrum wrote.
Another user wrote: ‘It’s not that deep. That should be your motivation to get better at skating props for them for setting the bar higher.’
Some went on to say that Silverman’s ‘biological disadvantage was her mind.’
‘I wholeheartedly disagree and cannot support this. Take the L and go on with your day, maybe try practicing more and you’ll be able to compete against anybody,’ another user wrote.
Silverman has been skateboarding for 11 years, she said in her post
She said when she tried to reach out to officials to ‘do the right thing even if it’s not the popular thing,’ she was ignored
‘This argument is transphobic as f*** and shows what type of person you are.’
Seldom people supported Silverman’s decision to speak out about her experience at the competition.
Instagram user Corie Kenyon wrote: ‘Good for you for speaking up Taylor! I support you. Please try to keep in mind that the internet is not an accurate snapshot of reality so the abuse you’re getting here is not the voice of those around you.
‘The VAST majority of people even in the most liberal areas agree with what you’re saying here. I am sorry you’re getting abuse for saying so.’
Silverman claims she reached out to Red Bull in hopes somebody would address her concerns that the competition was unfair, but she obtained no response.
‘A biological man with a clear advantage won the women’s division, best trick, and also won multiple qualifiers. This took away the opportunity that was meant for women to place and earn money,’ she reportedly wrote in an email.
Silverman’s claims come on the heels of a flurry of bills this year directed at transgender youth, including measures that bar classroom discussion of gender identity, block access to healthcare to help young people transition, and restrict participation in sports.
Instagram users lashed out at Silverman, criticizing her skateboarding skills and insulting her performance
Some went on to say that Silverman’s ‘biological disadvantage was her mind’
Seldom people supported Silverman’s decision to speak out about her experience at the competition
The Republican-sponsored legislations come in the run-up to the 2022 midterm elections, with transgender rights emerging as a major front in America’s culture wars.
In Arizona. Governor Doug Ducey signed a law that bans transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams in public and private schools.
Meanwhile, the Kentucky legislature, overriding Democratic Governor Andy Beshear’s veto, enacted a law that bans trans women and girls from school sports teams in grades six through 12 and at Kentucky colleges and universities.
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb vetoed a bill banning trans girls from girls’ school sports. Republican leaders in the legislators have vowed to override it.
Republican Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill requiring student athletes to join school sports team based on ‘sex at birth’ across public and private schools as well as in higher education.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill to ban transgender women and girls from participating in school sports will stand.
Proponents of the bill did not get the two-thirds majority needed in the state’s House of Representatives to overturn the Democratic governor’s veto, essentially killing the bill despite a vote by state senators to override that veto.
Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Utah, are among other states that have enacted legislation to ban transgender individuals from participating in sports in the gender-category that they identify with.
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