Rip Curl, an iconic surf brand, is under fire after featuring a transgender female-identifying competitive surfer on a now-deleted Instagram post promoting women’s surfing last week.
The Australia-based surf brand made a quick move last Thursday to remove its post featuring 44-year-old trans surfer Sasha Jane Lowerson from its “Meet The Local Heroes of Western Australia” campaign.
The image of the Western Australian professional longboarder, who identifies as female, did not sit well with Rip Curl’s customers, especially after news that it severed ties with Christian pro-surfer and shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton–allegedly over her opposition to transgender females competing in women’s sport.
In January 2022, Hamilton had signed on to a five-year, six-figure contract with the organization, Stab Magazine reports.
But last February, the 33-year-old vocalized her opposition to the World Surf League’s decision to adopt the International Surfing Association (ISA) policy on transgender participation in the sport.
The Christian sports icon said in an Instagram reel video that although she doesn’t have any issue with transgender people, allowing biological men to compete against women is unfair.
Surfing champion Bethany Hamilton has just announced she will NOT compete in the World Surf League anymore if they allow biological men
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