Radio star and former soccer commentator Lucy Zelic has launched a fresh attack on Peter FitzSimons over a recent newspaper column he wrote about transgender athletes competing against women.
Zelic repeatedly referred to the former footy star’s wife Lisa Wilkinson as she first slammed him over his opinion piece, which was titled ‘Shame on those who whip up hate against trans athletes for clicks and votes’.
FitzSimons described recent coverage of the issue in Australia and overseas as ‘hate-bait’ – a poisonous version of clickbait – and slammed those who are opposed to trans competitors playing against women for failing to think of how their stance hurts the athletes involved.
Zelic first accused the Sydney Morning Herald writer of ‘pretending biological reality doesn’t matter’ in a social media post on June 9 before coming back for more in a recent TV appearance.
‘The biggest frustration for me is why that compassion and support [from FitzSimons] never extends to the women and girls across sport … who are genuinely affected by this,’ she told Sky News Australia.
‘A lot of people are just engaging in this war of words for sport and for fun, as though we get a kick out of being threatened and abused daily over choosing to raise our heads above the parapet and enter the conversation surrounding biological reality and the need to preserve single-sex spaces for girls in sport.
Lucy Zelic (pictured) has doubled back to have another go at Peter FitzSimons after he slammed opponents of trans women competing against biological females
Zelic (pictured with former Socceroos star Craig Foster at the Logies) accused FitzSimons of ‘pretending biological reality doesn’t matter’
‘Those sorts of sentiments from Mr FitzSimons really irritated me, and knowing also that he is a former Wallaby and athlete himself, and that he tries to glaze over the fact that biological reality does matter and there are very clear and distinct differences in physiology and the advantages males are afforded through the androgenisation process was really disappointing to see.’
Zelic then stressed that she believes it’s possible for like her to acknowledge the need to protect women in sport and ‘extend your compassion and understanding to the trans community’.
‘I’m really not comfortable with turning my head away from these women who really rely on these spaces for their safety and comfort.
FitzSimons wrote in his opinion piece that ‘we need to call out this kind of stuff for what it is’, referring to the stance of Zelic and others who have raised issues about trans women in sport.
‘It is not a genuine attempt to achieve fairness in sport put out by people who have a genuine track record of earnestly examining that very thing,’ he wrote.
‘It’s just hate-bait, no more, no less, put out by people whose job in life is to stir up big trouble way above and beyond what the actual problem is.’
Zelic hit back in a post to X on June 9, accusing FitzSimons of painting ‘a very one-sided picture that attracts vitriol from BOTH sides of the aisle’.
‘That you are impervious to the death threats and vile insults being hurled at women daily over their belief that the female sports category is worthy of protection, beggars belief,’ Zelic wrote.
Zelic brought FitzSimons’ wife Lisa Wilkinson (pictured together) into the argument after he accused people like her of ‘whipping up hate’ against trans people for clicks
‘According to you, we’re all just a bunch of “bastards” laughing maniacally over a glass of pinot and whipping up hatred for clicks and votes. Is this what you’ve reduced women to?
‘Your wife certainly never kowtowed to men consumed by their own arrogance but the application of your double-standards to women who are experiencing similar, is quite astounding.
‘And speaking of which, let’s cut through the real nonsense here – you know what a woman is, Pete. Come on.
‘You married one, who gave you three beautiful children, and eloquently shared her challenging birth story and heartbreaking experiences with miscarriages. It made so many women who encountered similar, feel seen.
‘Those pretending that biological reality doesn’t matter, or that the lines can be blurred, will always do so until it’s time to reproduce, or find the person you’d like to share a life of intimacy with. All of a sudden, we know who the women are.’
Zelic also referred to FitzSimons’ time as a forward with the Wallabies to make a point about physical mismatches in sport, writing ‘f you decided to run full pelt at [women’s rugby star] Charlotte Caslick while you were in your prime – she’d be lucky to avoid a hospital visit’.
Zelic (pictured) has been an outspoken opponent of trans women playing sport against biological women
FitzSimons (pictured with Wilkinson) accused media personalities with similar views to Zelic of spreading ‘hate-bait’
Zelic has campaigned against Sydney’s Flying Bats women’s soccer team (pictured), which fields trans players and has been singled out by Harry Potter author JK Rowling
The 2GB commentator also told FitzSimons, ‘It’s easy to adopt an issue based on compassionate grounds when you’re sitting in the comfort of your mansion, but it’s far harder to cross paths with a rape survivor, who loved playing in her local women’s hockey team, until the presence of a male in her changing room triggered her.
‘Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I defended your right to have one when it came to Australian football but choosing to flippantly glaze over girls losing spots on teams and women being forced into silence? This one’s indefensible mate.’
Zelic’s post drew support from Liberal MP Moira Deeming and British Olympic swimming star Sharron Davies, who called her words ‘excellent rebuttal made with logic & facts’.
Zelic has been vocal about trans issues on several occasions and has been outspoken about the Flying Bats, a Sydney women’s soccer team that fields trans players and has also been singled out by Harry Potter author JK Rowling.
The former SBS star called for the team to be banned from playing after they enjoyed an undefeated season despite complaints from officials from rival clubs, with some sides forfeiting matches against them.
Club president Jennifer Peden told Daily Mail Australia last year: ‘As a club, the Flying Bats FC stand strongly for inclusion, and pride ourselves on safe, respectful and fair play, the promotion of a supportive community for LGBTQIA+ players, officials and supporters, and the significant physical, social and mental health benefits that participation in sport brings, especially to marginalised members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We are a club that values our cisgender and transgender players equally.
‘We strongly support the Australian Human Rights Commission’s guidelines for the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people in sport.’
Another trans sport issue made headlines recently when two trans netball players were banned from playing in a Victorian competition.
One of them, Manawa Aranui, hit out furiously at the decision.
‘I’ve sat quietly long enough while this narrative brewed and I’ve been dragged – publicly and without consent – into a conversation where both my character and identity have been attacked,’ she wrote.
‘You’re entitled to believe it’s “unfair” for cis women to compete against transgender women. That’s your opinion. But the lies? They need to stop.
‘You’re not out here protecting women’s sport. You’re being malicious, using false narratives to mask your bigotry and personal agendas behind the guise of “safeguarding women’s spaces”.’
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) guidelines on the inclusion of transgender athletes state that sports must comply with the Sex Discrimination Act, which makes it unlawful to discriminate, harass or victimise people due to their sex or gender identity.
‘All Australians should have the opportunity to be involved in sport and physical activity, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, ability, cultural background or ethnicity,’ the guidelines state.
‘It is important that sporting bodies, from local clubs through to national sporting organisations, reflect the diversity in the communities they are a part of, and that together, we ensure every person is treated with respect and dignity and protected from discrimination.’
