British Cycling has just banned us from racing. This was to be announced at 11am today, but I'm done with this whole conversation being on their terms, and being controlled by them.
They have no authority to control this conversation anymore. Does it surprise me that the same organisation funded directly by a state that ships vulnerable refugees to Rwanda, violently clamps down on any political dissent that they disapprove of, or starves their people? No, of course, it doesn't. The same organisation with actively homophobic coaches, who encouraged eating disorders and did nothing about any bullying between its riders. The same organisation where riders influence their policy when it doesn't fit their entitled and narrow worldview, with no ability for nuance or any desire to question the view that they've been told since birth. Journalists have been circling like vultures at a corpse for the last few days, gagging at the opportunity for a story or comment. British Cycling is a failed organisation, the racing scene is dying under your watch and all you can do is take money from petrochemical companies and engage in culture wars. You don't care about making sport more diverse, you want to make yourself look better and you're even failing at that. Cycling is still one of the whitest, straightest sports out there, and you couldn't care less.
This is a violent act. When the government is expressing admiration towards Ron Desantis' fascist state which kidnaps children, and is itching to pass legislation to ban us from public life, this is a violent act. British Cycling are supporting this, they are furthering a genocide against us. Bans from sports is how it starts, look at what is going on in America. It starts with sports bans, then youth and general healthcare and then bans from public life through bathroom bans. Just look at the situation, and who is on your side. When literal Nazis, conspiracy theorists and those who want our eradication are on your side, surely that should give you pause?
I agree that there needs to be a nuanced policy discussion and continue to conduct research, but this hasn't happened. Research isn't being viewed critically, or any discussion about the relevance of the data to specific sports. Any discussion is inherently political and driven by bad faith actors, and the whole discussion is framed by the media who are driven through engagement by hate and funding from far-right ultra-capitalists. I've given my body up to science for the last two years, and this data will be out soon. There is actual, relevant data coming soon, and discussions need to be had.
I know a lot of people will think I'm being dramatic, or overplaying how scary things are at the moment. I'm having to consider an exit plan from this terrible island and figure out what point enough is enough. It terrifies me to exist at the moment, I have friends getting hate crimed all the time, and my reality is that I can't look ahead to the future or make plans because I don't know if I'll be allowed to live that long. Do you have any idea what that does to someone psychologically? To constantly see your existence being put up for debate, and the other side openly calling for our eradication? I don't even know if I want to race my bike any more, the danger and everything that would come with racing makes it a pretty hard thing to justify to myself. But you have no right on telling me when I am done. This is my decision and mine alone.
Yeah I might be speaking strongly at the moment, but this is my reality right now. It is literally a fight for survival for me and my family at the moment.
I hope the media have fun cherry-picking quotes from this and making me look hysterical
