Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges says she was threatened with ‘kneecapping’ following comments made by Boris Johnson.
The 21-year-old made headlines in March when she was barred from competing against Dame Laura Kenny in the British National Omnium Championships.
The sport’s governing body had ruled she was not eligible to compete.
Mr Johnson had waded into the subsequent debate when he said ‘biological males should not compete in women’s sports’.
His comments led to Bridges fearing for her own safety due to an ‘avalanche’ of abuse.
‘The response after that was as expected,’ she told ITV.
‘I had threats of physical violence made against me by complete strangers online and I’m scared a lot of the time about being who I am in public.
‘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 the way.’
She added the issue had been a topic Mr Johnson didn’t ‘know anything about.’
At the time, he had said: ‘It just seems to me to be sensible.’
‘I also happen to think that women should have spaces – whether it is in hospitals or prisons or changing rooms or wherever – which are dedicated to women.
‘That doesn’t mean that I am not immensely sympathetic to people that want to change gender, to transition and it is vital that we give people the maximum possible love and support in making those decisions.’
Bridges had faced backlash after some claimed, because she had competed in a men’s race a month earlier, she should be barred from entering the women’s leg of the British National Omnium Championships.
The event would have been the 21-year-old’s debut in a women’s race.
She had undergone hormone replacement therapy that had meant her testosterone levels had fallen within the limits stipulated by British Cycling.
‘It probably wasn’t the right thing to do,’ she said, in relation to the then-recent men’s race.
‘I wanted to do it because I wanted to keep my skills sharp. Immediately after I came off the track, I was like “I kind of wish I hadn’t done that” because I knew what was coming.’
A British Cycling spokesperson has told ITV News that an update on a review of its Transgender and Non-binary Participation Policy would be released soon.
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