The Gender Journey Of Simone Biles

A decade ago, the Olympian knew what a woman is. When did she forget?

Gymnast Simone Biles exploded onto the scene in 2013 at sixteen, the age when most American girls are just old enough to get a driver’s license. She was already world champion before her outstanding performance at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Her biography included time in foster care as a child, so from the beginning, Biles was presented to the public as the tough-luck kid who had overcome the odds.

In that heady moment when she was winning everything and still on her way to Olympic greatness, Biles knew what a woman is. No one had to explain the sports performance differences of the human sex binary to her. Biles could admit that she was unable to perform male-specific gymnastic events, such as the rings, because she is female, and female bodies are different from male bodies.