Bay Area Gyms Cut Ties as CrossFit Games Policy Limits Athletes by Birth Gender

At least two Bay Area gyms are cutting ties with CrossFit over its newly introduced gender classification policy for its annual CrossFit Games, an international competition that draws hundreds of thousands of athletes.

In a reversal of its more inclusive rules established in 2018, CrossFit quietly implemented the new policy on its website sometime after Nov. 29. The updated requirements now state that “to maintain fairness and the integrity of the competition, athletes must compete in the division corresponding to their gender assigned at birth.”

Brightside Barbell, a gym in Oakland, is ending its contract with CrossFit in response.

“With this new rule,” said owner C.E. Brooks, “half of our gym can’t even compete.”

Pacific Strength gym, also in Oakland, said it will not renew its affiliation with CrossFit, which is set to expire later this year unless CrossFit changes the policy.

CrossFit did not respond to requests for comment.

LGBTQ advocates are especially alarmed by a section of the policy that allows athletes to challenge a competitor’s eligibility for the CrossFit Games. The policy provides an email address for confidentially disputing an athlete’s gender classification, raising concerns about potential harassment and discrimination.

Brooks said this hurts all participants, not just trans athletes.

“What it’s actually going to do is create a whole host of problems for cis women,” they said. “Predominantly, cis women of color, if we’re going to be honest — people that aren’t feminine enough or don’t look a certain way or are too tall, too strong, too fast.”

A local trans athlete who asked to remain anonymous, citing safety concerns, agreed.

“All this vigilante reporting is really a way for people to exercise their misogyny,” she said. “To see a woman and say that their performance is unnatural based on whatever criteria they have in their head.”

The Oakland-based professional athlete said she often fields questions about whether competing as a trans female gives her an unfair advantage.

She noted that she doesn’t hear the same concerns about trans male athletes and expects they will receive fewer challenges under the new policy.

“The people that are against trans participation in sports rarely acknowledge the existence of trans men,” she said. “I guess there’s this built-in assumption that trans men can’t be as good at sport as cis men.”

She thinks concerns about fairness are unfounded. She competed in the CrossFit Games both before and after her transition and said she received about the same ranking in the men’s category as in the women’s.

“People can be good at sports for many reasons that are inherent to them,” she said. “People who are tall can just be better at basketball.”

Ash Campo, a member at Brightside Barbell, said the new rules also create a barrier for non-binary participants like themself.

“I don’t fit in either the male or female category,” they said. “And no matter what category I competed in, I think my gender could be questioned.”

On registering for the CrossFit Open, which is the first stage of the Games, athletes appear on a public webpage that lists their classifications. Previously, they were able to select their gender, but now they will need to give their gender assigned at birth.

“And depending on where you’re competing in the country, that can be very unsafe,” Campo said.

In protest of the new policy, Campo said they will no longer be participating in any CrossFit activities. After two and a half years of regular CrossFit, they’re feeling the loss.

“It’s been a huge source of joy, being surrounded by people who are all pushing ourselves and feeling proud about our accomplishments,” they said. “It’s really sad to see that space go for trans athletes.”