At 50-years-old, standing six-feet
eight inches tall, weighing 220 pounds and covered in naval tattoos,
Gabrielle Ludwig caused enormous waves when she made her college
basketball debut for Santa Clara community college last week.
Born Robert John Ludwig, the former Desert Storm veteran is believed to be the first transsexual athlete to play college sports as both genders and as she stepped onto Contra Costa College gym, the Fremont resident towered at least a foot over team-mates 30-years her junior.
Having completed her transition from man to woman in July of this year, Gabbi as she is now known took to the court watched by her teenage daughter, Janelle, who has decided to give her the moniker of 'Maddy', a combination of mom and dad in recognition of her father's sex change.
Scroll Down for Video
Supported by Santa Clara
athletic director Mike Perez and coach Corey Cafferata, Gabi managed to
get clearance to compete with players 30-years younger than her after
they learned the California Community College Atheltic Association
decided gender by birth certificate.
Having already played as a man in 1980, Gabi needed to petition a court and show medical confirmation that she had changed her sex - so on November 30th, an Alameda County Superior Court judge declared Gabrielle Monika Ludwig a woman and gave her a female birth certificate.
Answering claims that her size
is an unfair advantage when playing basketball, Dale Murray,
commissioner for the Coast Conference, which oversees Santa Clara
College said he has seen little evidence of any advantage.
'She just happens to be a bit taller than everyone else,' said Murray.
'What if she was born a female
and six-feet five-inches? She's a little older than other community
college players, so that's probably to her disadvantage.'
Others are not as sure that the college basketball player should be allowed to continue.
'That's an awfully large woman and I'm not sure how to answer that because all sports have unique individuals in them,' said Logan McKechnie, an attorney and commissioner for the Central Valley Conference.
'Is it fair that all professional sports athletes have to face Peyton Manning each year?' he said. 'I don't think, frankly, fairness enters into it.'
Some draw inspiration from Gabbi, including Alexis Madayag- Thompson, who plays as guard alongside her and is deaf.
'I think it's great. It revolutionises sports a little bit to open-mindedness,' said Thompson.
Indeed, Gabi's girlfriend Maryann Pondevida, 42, from La Palma, said that her partner has every right to play as the others.
'If she's cleared to play, what's the problem?'
However, as always, some individuals have taken objection to what can be considered an unconventional player taking to the court.
'It ain't right,' said Ray Galli, 58, who watched the game with a friend whose daughter played on the opposition team.
'For one, she's 50-years-old and no.2...come on, these girls out here are young. Start your own league if you want to do that.
'I don't want to see a 50-year-old man in the locker room.
'I mean you're born a guy right? I'm not sure if all the parts are there or what.'
Experiencing a 69-62 loss in
her first game against College of the Siskiyous, Gabbi made three
rebounds during the seven minutes she played on December 1st.
With two failed marriages behind her, one failed suicide attempt and one 19-year-old daughter who calls her 'Maddy', Gabbi is now living a happy life with her partner and her two young children.
Born Robert John Ludwig in Berlin, he moved to Long Island when he was nine and began to secretly cross dress into his mother's clothes at any opportunity he could.
'It was aspirin to a bad headache,' said Gabbi to USA Today.
Confused by his sexuality at the time and bullied at school for his effeminate manner at 15, Robert attempted suicide.
However, once puberty hit, he became a large man and began to realise that he was only attracted to women and then entered in 1984 into a nine-year stint in the Navy.
He traveled the world as an aviation anti-submarine warfare technician in Desert Storm and after the war he decided that he had been born into the wrong body and began the process of gender reassignment.
Beginning to take female
hormones, he began to grow breasts much to the confusion of his wife of
11 years who he ultimately divorced from.
'I feel I betrayed her trust,' said Gabbi. 'That is a cross I have to bear the rest of my life.'
As the gulf between who he was and what he was widened, Gabbi began to suffer from deep depression.
'You look in the mirror and you have breasts and are developing a woman's body, and you have male genitalia,' Ludwig says. 'You kind of feel freakish. It's like you are stuck in the abyss.'
The Internet helped him discover he was not alone and that he suffered from gender identity disphoria.
Changing his identity in January 2007 from John to Gabbi, the final sex change operation which confirmed Gabbi as a transsexual took place in July 2012.
The entire cost for the operation was over $130,000 - all paid for on insurance - and now with her first basketball game she is beginning to find the happiness that has eluded her for so long.
'Through camaraderie, we kind of figure out where the hell we are in life … ' Ludwig says. 'We as human beings, we just want to be loved.'
Born Robert John Ludwig, the former Desert Storm veteran is believed to be the first transsexual athlete to play college sports as both genders and as she stepped onto Contra Costa College gym, the Fremont resident towered at least a foot over team-mates 30-years her junior.
Having completed her transition from man to woman in July of this year, Gabbi as she is now known took to the court watched by her teenage daughter, Janelle, who has decided to give her the moniker of 'Maddy', a combination of mom and dad in recognition of her father's sex change.
Scroll Down for Video
Gabrielle Ludwig, 50, made her debut for Santa
Clara community college last week and stands six-feet eight-inches and
weighs 220 pounds
Having already played as a man in 1980, Gabi needed to petition a court and show medical confirmation that she had changed her sex - so on November 30th, an Alameda County Superior Court judge declared Gabrielle Monika Ludwig a woman and gave her a female birth certificate.
'She just happens to be a bit taller than everyone else,' said Murray.
Towering one-foot above her new team mates, Gabrielle has become an inspiration for the Santa Clara community college team
Gabrielle Ludwig completed her final sex change
operation in July and was only registered to play as a woman in November
of this year
Having served in the Navy for nine-years - Gabrielle's arms and legs are covered in naval tattoos
Others are not as sure that the college basketball player should be allowed to continue.
'That's an awfully large woman and I'm not sure how to answer that because all sports have unique individuals in them,' said Logan McKechnie, an attorney and commissioner for the Central Valley Conference.
'Is it fair that all professional sports athletes have to face Peyton Manning each year?' he said. 'I don't think, frankly, fairness enters into it.'
Some draw inspiration from Gabbi, including Alexis Madayag- Thompson, who plays as guard alongside her and is deaf.
'I think it's great. It revolutionises sports a little bit to open-mindedness,' said Thompson.
Indeed, Gabi's girlfriend Maryann Pondevida, 42, from La Palma, said that her partner has every right to play as the others.
'If she's cleared to play, what's the problem?'
However, as always, some individuals have taken objection to what can be considered an unconventional player taking to the court.
'It ain't right,' said Ray Galli, 58, who watched the game with a friend whose daughter played on the opposition team.
'For one, she's 50-years-old and no.2...come on, these girls out here are young. Start your own league if you want to do that.
'I don't want to see a 50-year-old man in the locker room.
'I mean you're born a guy right? I'm not sure if all the parts are there or what.'
Training with Santa Clara team mates, Gabrielle began her basketball career as a man at college in 1980
Gabrielle Ludwig took to the court for the first
time last week on December 1st and she is believed to be the first
transsexual player to have competed in male and female basketball
matches
With two failed marriages behind her, one failed suicide attempt and one 19-year-old daughter who calls her 'Maddy', Gabbi is now living a happy life with her partner and her two young children.
Born Robert John Ludwig in Berlin, he moved to Long Island when he was nine and began to secretly cross dress into his mother's clothes at any opportunity he could.
'It was aspirin to a bad headache,' said Gabbi to USA Today.
Confused by his sexuality at the time and bullied at school for his effeminate manner at 15, Robert attempted suicide.
However, once puberty hit, he became a large man and began to realise that he was only attracted to women and then entered in 1984 into a nine-year stint in the Navy.
He traveled the world as an aviation anti-submarine warfare technician in Desert Storm and after the war he decided that he had been born into the wrong body and began the process of gender reassignment.
Coach Corey Cafferata gives the half time team
talk to his players during Gabrielle's first ever match during which she
took to the court for seven minutes
'I feel I betrayed her trust,' said Gabbi. 'That is a cross I have to bear the rest of my life.'
As the gulf between who he was and what he was widened, Gabbi began to suffer from deep depression.
'You look in the mirror and you have breasts and are developing a woman's body, and you have male genitalia,' Ludwig says. 'You kind of feel freakish. It's like you are stuck in the abyss.'
The Internet helped him discover he was not alone and that he suffered from gender identity disphoria.
Changing his identity in January 2007 from John to Gabbi, the final sex change operation which confirmed Gabbi as a transsexual took place in July 2012.
The entire cost for the operation was over $130,000 - all paid for on insurance - and now with her first basketball game she is beginning to find the happiness that has eluded her for so long.
'Through camaraderie, we kind of figure out where the hell we are in life … ' Ludwig says. 'We as human beings, we just want to be loved.'
没有评论:
发表评论