A trans-identifying male runner from Italy will compete alongside women in the Paralympics in Paris.
Valentina Petrillo, 50, began identifying as a transgender woman in 2018 and began taking cross-sex hormones the next year. He has claimed he knew he was female from as young as age nine.
“I deserve this selection,” he told the BBC, adding that “everyone will have their questions,” but only a “minority” will understand his story.
“The historic value of being the first transgender woman to compete at the Paralympics is an important symbol of inclusion,” Petrillo said.
Petrillo will compete for Italy in the T12 classification for athletes with visual impairments. He was diagnosed as a child with Stargardt’s syndrome, a condition where people lose their central vision over time but often keep their peripheral vision.
He previously competed in the men’s running category and…
