Nathanielle Morin, a Canadian advisor to the Federal Minister of Women, issued a statement this week defending their participation in women’s marathons as a transgender individual. In the statement, Morin referenced former President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that restricts transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports.
“I understand that my involvement in various competitions will be scrutinized due to my medical history. The current situation in the United States and remarks from certain politicians do not help,” Morin stated. “With all due respect to my level of competition (amateur recreational), the existing scientific research in this area (for amateur recreational athletes), and the fact that I have undergone a medical transition, I believe I have the right to compete in the appropriate category unless prohibited by law. It is important to note that in Canada, there are no laws against this. I will adhere to local laws in other countries as applicable.”
Morin also mentioned that further medical research will be taken into account as they consider whether to continue competing in women’s marathons. On Tuesday, Morin shared a post on social media that elaborated on their status as a transgender marathon runner.
“Trans individuals simply seek to fully integrate as their authentic selves and find happiness in our society,” Morin expressed. Morin notably participated in the 5-kilometer BougeBouge run on February 4, 2024, where they secured first place with a time of 25:32, earning the title of “fastest female” across all age categories. The second-place finisher was a girl in the 10-12 age group, who completed the race in 26:08 and would have taken first place had Morin not competed. If Morin had entered the men’s category, they would have finished 10th among all male participants.
As of June 2017, all entities in Canada must adhere to the Canadian Human Rights Act, which includes equal opportunity and anti-discrimination legislation that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression. This law ensures the inclusion of all transgender athletes in women’s and girls’ sports.
Trump’s recent executive order in the U.S. stipulates that any publicly funded institution allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ or women’s sports will face the loss of federal funding. Trump has also suggested that Canada might consider joining the U.S. as the 51st state.