Emily Bridges: Transgender cyclist targeted with ‘threats of physical violence’ | Cycling News

Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges, who has faced violent threats online: “People are entitled to hold an opinion about it, but there’s a way to go about voicing that opinion – and threatening to kneecap me is not that way.”

Cyclist Emily Bridges was prevented from competing at the British National Omnium Championships earlier this year

Cyclist Emily Bridges says she was subjected to “threats of physical violence” in the wake of Boris Johnson’s recent remarks on the issue of transgender women in sport.

Trans athlete Bridges, who was barred from competing at the British National Omnium Championships earlier this year after protests from other riders, has since been subjected to a wave of online abuse.

The Prime Minister had stated: “I don’t think biological males should be competing in female sporting events.”

Bridges, who came out as transgender in a Sky Sports interview in 2020, admits she found the response that followed ‘scary’.

“I had threats of physical violence made against me by complete strangers online,” Bridges told ITV News.

“People are entitled to hold an opinion about it, but there’s a way to go about voicing that opinion – and threatening to kneecap me is not that way.

“I’m scared a lot of the time about being who I am in public – is someone going to recognise me? It was a real fear that I had after the comments were made, and it was scary.”

Hate won’t win

Sky Sports is committed to making skysports.com and our channels on social media platforms a place for comment and debate that is free of abuse, hate and profanity.

For more information, please visit: www.skysports.com/againstonlinehate

If you see a reply to Sky Sports posts and/or content with an expression of hate on the basis of race, sex, colour, gender, nationality, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexuality, age or class, please copy the URL to the hateful post and screengrab it and email us here.