Transgender fighter Alana McLaughlin has responded to frequent accusations that she transitioned from male to female just so she could fight women in MMA.
Alana McLaughlin made her MMA debut in September at Combate Global: Perez vs. Roa, picking up a comeback victory over fellow debutante Celine Provost of France. McLaughlin was able to secure the rear-naked choke victory in the second round to pick up the first win of her controversial career.
The topic of trans-athletes competing against cisfemale athletes has been a controversial subject in recent years, but perhaps none more so than in MMA, where there is full-on hand-to-hand combat taking place.
Among the first to tackle this subject in the mainstream MMA community was the always-unfiltered Sean Strickland. Soon after, several other fighters voiced their stance against transgender athletes being allowed to compete in women’s MMA, including Michael Bisping, Sean O’Malley, and Demian Maia.
For McLaughlin’s part, she shared that she has received death threats since her debut but vowed not to address her detractors ever again after an initial Instagram post defending her participation in bouts against cisfemale opponents.
Recently, she would again address them, however, specifically responding to those who accuse her of transitioning only so that she could beat up women legally and easily.
“Transphobes claim I transitioned specifically to fight women because I couldn’t beat men as if my previous job wasn’t fighting a real actual war and ending human lives. If I had been able to keep pretending to be a man I’d have started fighting MMA in 2010,” McLaughlin wrote.
“As if I haven’t been fighting men without the safety of gloves and referees and doctors my whole life. As if I haven’t been shot, stabbed, blown up, and worse. Having a dick doesn’t make someone strong, and women, both cis and trans, are stronger than we’re given credit for,” she continued.
McLaughlin is referring to her time as a member of the US Army Special Forces from 2004-2010. She is currently 38 years of age and remains 1-0 as an MMA pro. There is currently no word on when “Lady Feral” will compete again or who will be her next opponent.
What do you make of Alana McLaughlin’s response to the accusations made by her detractors?