Open Letter to The Oshkosh Area Community Foundation – The Women’s Fund

To: Karlene Grabner, Viki Krueger, Amy Albright, Katie Hoxtell, Karen Schneider, Barb Herzog, Ken Arneson, Rosangela Berbert, Melissa Kohn, Denise Prehn, Carrie Rule, Patty Shea, Siri Pollnow and The Oshkosh Area Community Foundation – The Women’s Fund

We are writing to highlight the alarming impact of your choice of keynote speaker for the Power of the Purse Initiative. This speaker Bethany Hamilton has spoken out against the Trans community very vocally and has outwardly protested the trans inclusive rules of the World Surf League. 

In your public mission statement you commit to “improve the lives of women, girls, and all members of communities in Winnebago County.” Furthermore you state as an organization that you “celebrate diversity and the varied needs (of) women of all ages in our community.” You specifically work towards initiatives to “empower women and girls to live their lives to their full potential.” Your logo even was created to symbolize unity of all women. As this is the case we are deeply concerned and unnerved by the public choice to put on a pedestal such a transphobic individual. If you truly intend to celebrate diversity and improve the lives of all women–  trans women, especially black trans women, are one of the most heavily impacted and marginalized groups of people in wisconsin. With our state creating laws that would make drag an offense punishable as a sex crime this is an extremely important matter and frankly a tone deaf precedent you do not want to set.  

The Power of the Purse initiative recently worked to showcase the impact of women and their struggle with mental health. In 2022, 56 percent of Trans youth in wisconsin seriously considered suicide, and 21 percent of trans youth attempted suicide. As this is the case, trans women deserve your recognition and outspoken support.

Bethany Hamilton has labeled trans women as “male bodied individuals” which is beyond offensive and exclusionary. She furthermore labeled herself as transphobic in a candid public Instagram video. Following her original first problematic declaration of anti trans sentiment and outward disgust towards the World Surf League’s updated rules, she doubles down and says, “this is not supported by a majority of women (WSL surfers) that I know,” and further attempts to justify her hatred by saying, “these aren’t hateful transphobic ladies that share the same opinion as I (do).” 

The World Surf League updated their rules in accordance with the Olympics and the International Surfing Association (ISA) policy, which allows trans women to compete in events if their serum testosterone level is less than 5 nmol/L continuously for a year. For reference cis women ages 19 and older have a standard reference range of 52.0075 – 242.7016 nmol/L. This means that in order to compete, trans women have to maintain consistent serum testosterone levels over 11 times less than the lowest end of the standard cis women’s range. 

Disregarding the fact that the World Surf League and the ISA do not have any policies targeting trans men, this is clearly an extreme measure in order to make sure there is no confusion surrounding the so-called “biological advantages” of trans women. Despite there only being one trans women surfer ever competing in the WSL, Bethany Hamilton has made it her mission to call for the rule to be reversed. 

To revel in Bethany’s stardom and boost her impact as a celebrity by providing her a public platform in an inclusive and diverse women’s space, as you as an organization have committed to in your mission statements is hypocrisy. The value of uplifting and supporting marginalized communities must come before a conference in hopes to line your pockets with donor money. If your ethics lie elsewhere and you think standing on the bodies of the downtrodden will get you further in helping the few, you are in for a rude awakening. 

We demand that you remove Bethany Hamilton as a keynote speaker and work to rectify your flawed approach to an initiative, as this has become a platform of an outpouring of anti-trans sentiment. Beyond issuing a public apology you must show up for trans women and work to create equity and inclusion in the broader Winnebago county area. We urge you to not only shed light on your wrongdoing but create accountability and stand with the values you attest to in your mission statement.