Aussie Olympian Emma McKeon wades into transgender sporting debate

Six-time gold medallist Emma McKeon has weighed in on the transgender sport debate after Scott Morrison’s latest dig at cancel culture.

Aussie Olympian Emma McKeon has weighed in on the ongoing transgender sporting debate, admitting she finds the idea of competing against a biological male a “concern”.

The issue has been thrust in the public spotlight as the upcoming Federal Election approaches.

The Coalition has been forced to address controversy over Warringah candidate Katherine Deves’ now-deleted comments on the transgender debate, while Scott Morrison has vowed to take a hard stance against athletes transitioning then competing professionally.

McKeon, who won five gold medals in the pool in Tokyo, said she doubted whether she would ever be faced with the scenario, but stressed the importance of fairness in competitive sport.

“I mean, I personally wouldn’t want to be racing against someone who is biologically a male, so that’s a concern,” McKeon said at Griffith University’s A Better Future For All seminar, as reported by InQueensland.

“I don’t think I’m going to have to race against a trans swimmer, I don’t think it’s going to come to that point.”

“But now that it’s a growing thing, the sport has to think about how to handle it and how to deal with it, because you do want to be inclusive, but you don’t want to have females racing against swimmers who are biologically male because it’s just not fair.”

Emma McKeon has weighed in on Australia’s delicate transgender sport issue.

It came as Mr Morrison declared Australians are “fed up with walking on eggshells” over fears they might offend someone.

The Prime Minister jumped to the defence of those facing burnt careers over comments made in the past, and urged Australia to stop “cancelling people” for speaking their mind.

“What I won’t allow, is for those who are seeking to cancel Katherine simply because she has a different view to them on the issue of women and girls in sport,” Mr Morrison said.

“I think Australians are getting pretty fed up with having to walk on eggshells every day because they may or may not say something one day that’s going to upset someone.” Mr Morrison said he didn’t support people “getting cancelled”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australians are fed up of walking on eggshells.

“Now you shouldn’t seek to upset anyone else, you shouldn’t seek to upset people, you should deal with things in a very sensitive way, but in this country, I think it’s time to allow people, where they have made mistakes in the past about how they have said things, where they’re prepared to put those behind them, and focus sensitively on the issues they’re seeking to promote, then that’s how they do it.”

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean, state MP Felicity Wilson and Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman have all called for Ms Deves to be disendorsed for her comments about the transgender community.

“It’s another split in the Liberal Party, but Morrison, I guess, is playing it smart politically, and he’s taking a stand and the more he does take a stand, it doesn’t go each way on things,” Mr Clennell told Sky News host Peta Credlin.

Originally published as Aussie Olympian Emma McKeon wades into transgender sporting debate