Boycott threats turn to destruction for Rip Curl after trans move

A PR nightmare for an iconic Australian surf brand has taken another step as customers burn and throw away its products.

An Australian dad who filmed himself burning his boardies is one of many oceangoers worldwide taking a threat to boycott the surf brand Rip Curl to the next level.

The Australian-founded surfwear label sparked controversy this week after including a trans woman in a marketing campaign for its Rip Curl Women arm.

There was fierce backlash from customers, with some labelling it Rip Curl’s ‘Bud Light moment’.

Darwin dad Steve Gleeson filmed himself destroying his Rip Curl boardies.

On Tuesday night, the hashtag #BoycottRipCurl became a trending topic in Australia. This happened less than a week after the brand included Sasha Lowerson, a 44-year-old professional longboarder and trans woman, in its Rip Curl Women Meet The Local Heroes of Western Australia marketing campaign on social media.

Rip Curl included Sasha Lowerson in its marketing on social media.

Rhetoric in the thread suggests opponents to the marketing decision see it as an affront to surfing icon Bethany Hamilton, who is thought to have been dropped from the brand over her opposition to a 2023 decision to allow trans athletes to compete in WSL surfing events.

Male-bodied athletes should not be competing in female sports. Period.

— Bethany Hamilton (@bethanyhamilton) January 29, 2024

In a new development, customers have begun posting themselves destroying Rip Curl clothing and accessories.

Darwin dad Steve Gleeson was one of those.

“Go woke, go broke – f*** you, Rip Curl,” he says to the camera before throwing his board shorts into a fire.

Steve Gleeson posted online.

He threw his board shorts into a fire.

Another man, Tomislav Stojanovic, filmed himself tossing his reef booties in the bin.

“I’m in Bali, I’ve just heard about Rip Curl … F*** you Rip Curl,” he says.

Amid the backlash and without addressing the brand directly, Hamilton also took to X, stating: “Male-bodied athletes should not be competing in female sports. Period.”

While much of the campaign contains criticism of the brand’s recent marketing decisions, many also include personal, transphobic attacks against Ms Lowerson.

Rip Curl, which has been owned by New Zealand company Kathmandu (KMD Brands) since 2019, has removed content featuring Ms Lowerson from its social media accounts.

The retailer has not responded to requests for comment.

The World Surf League, the peak governing body for professional surfers, adopted the International Surfing Association’s policy for transgender participation in early 2023, causing a rift in the surfing community.

Another customer tossed a pair of reef booties.

The International Olympic Committee recognises the ISA as the world governing authority for surfing, with the WSL citing this as part of its decision making.

The policy requires athletes assigned male at birth to maintain specific testosterone levels continuously for the previous 12 months to be eligible to participate in women’s events.

Surfing royalty including Bethany Hamilton and Kelly Slater pushed for the creation of a separate transgender division within the sport after the announcement.

Hamilton questioned the fairness of the hormone rules soon after the announcement, stating: “How did whoever decided these hormone rules come to the conclusion that 12 months of testing testosterone make it a fair and legal switch?”

Hamilton’s commercial relationship with Rip Curl ended soon after her comments.

Neither she nor the brand has publicly declared a reason, but surf media has heavily speculated the split was linked to Hamilton’s stance on trans athletes.

Originally published as Boycott threats turn to destruction for Rip Curl after trans move