Danica Patrick has slammed transgender athletes, insisting men competing against women is ‘totally unfair’.
It comes amid the ongoing row over whether some trans women have an unfair advantage over biological women in sports because of strength and testosterone many banked up in puberty.
Patrick, a former NASCAR driver, competed in a male-dominated sport for years and her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 remains the only win by a woman in IndyCar history.
She insists men should be prevented from competing against women in any physical sport, however.
‘I was a girl in a guy’s sport. There are some true hormonal physiological reasons why men should not compete in women’s sports,’ she told former Wall Street investor Codie Sanchez.
Danica Patrick has slammed trans athletes, insisting men competing against women is ‘unfair’
There were two trans athletes at this summer’s Olympics: American runner Nikki Hiltz (left) and Canadian footballer Quinn (right)
‘When it comes to strength, when it comes to power, size… those things are really different.
‘When men have at least 10 times the testosterone that women do, which is something that helps build lean muscle mass and gives you size and mass and power, it’s totally unfair.’
There were two trans athletes at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris: American runner Nikki Hiltz and Canadian footballer Quinn, both 29. Both identify as transgender and non-binary.
But swimmer Lia Thomas was unable to compete after losing a legal battle and New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the last Olympic Games, was also absent.
There was also fury at boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, who each won gold in the French capital.
Both insisted they were born female and neither has identified as otherwise, but both fighters were disqualified from competing at the World Championship for failing a gender test.
Weeks after, visually-impaired Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo, 50, became the first-ever transgender Paralympics athlete after qualifying in the T12 200m and 400m in Paris.
There was fury at boxers Imane Khelif (above) and Lin Yu-ting winning gold in women’s boxing
Swimmer Lia Thomas was unable to compete at the Paris Olympics after losing a legal battle
Earlier this week, Patrick delivered a six-word message to America’s critics while endorsing Donald Trump as president.
The current Formula one analyst’s response to those who are critical of America left no doubt as to where her loyalties lie. She said: ‘You can leave if you want’.
Patrick announced she was moderating a panel as part of Trump’s ‘Reclaim America Tour’ in Las Vegas over the weekend.
The former NASCAR and IndyCar driver analyst has leaned to the right in the past and has followed that path in choosing her endorsement.
The panel moderated by Patrick had former U.S. representative Tulsi Gabbard and former Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on it, who have both pledged their loyalty to Trump despite belonging to different political parties recently.
Patrick’s past interviews with Kennedy, as well as conservative commentators like Charlie Kirk and Tucker Carlson, have shown her long affiliation with those who want to see Trump reelected.
Patrick endorsed Trump and gave her response to America’s critics: ‘You can leave if you want!’
Trump is hoping for a second chance in the White House after his prior four years in office
Over the course of her NASCAR career – and after the fact – Patrick, 42, has been in a number of high-profile relationships.
She dated fellow NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr from 2012 to 2017 and then-Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers for a period of two years.
Patrick posted a snap to social media earlier this month of her kissing a mystery man.
While attended Burning Man in Nevada this year, she uploaded the pic to her Instagram account showcasing various images of the festival.
Amongst the images included her kissing an unidentified man surrounded by the dust of the Black Rock Desert.
Another image showed the silhouette of Patrick smooching someone while on some Playa swings at sunset.
It’s not clear if this person she’s kissing is a boyfriend or someone she only met at the festival.