22 Jun 2021

Trans mental health expert Jaimie Veale on Laurel Hubbard weightlifting selection

From Morning Report, 8:47 am on 22 June 2021

The news that New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is the first transgender athlete to be selected for an Olympic squad has reopened a contentious debate over trans people in organized sport.

It's a debate that will likely grow louder as Hubbard's appearance in Tokyo grows nearer.

There's concern that the people most exposed to that debate, trans people themselves, could be further stigmatized.

Waikato University senior lecturer of psychology Jaimie Veale spoke to Susie Ferguson.