Caitlyn Jenner: Petition to strip Olympian of medals after gender transition sparks outrage
An online petition calling for Caitlyn Jenner to be stripped of her Olympic medals following her transition into a woman has amassed over 2,000 signatures.
The reality star, who rose to fame after winning the gold medal in the men's decathlon event at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, unveiled her new Identity on the cover of Vanity Fair alongside the headline "Call me Caitlyn".
But while many fans and supporters hailed the move as "courageous", a petition has accused the former athlete of misleading Olympic officials.
According to the appeal, the 65-year-old star "was in violation of committee rules regarding women competing in men's sports and vice versa."
"It has recently come to light that gold medalist Bruce Jenner is in fact transgender, and therefore, identifies as a woman. We congratulate Ms Jenner on these new developments and wish her the best," it states.
"However, this creates somewhat of a problem as Ms Jenner (as talented as she is) claims that she has always believed herself to be truly female, and therefore, was in violation of committee rules regarding women competing in men's sports and vice versa.
"It is only fair to all involved that women receive their credit as champions of the Decathalon and that the men racing Ms. Jenner are not expected to compete with a superior, streamlined being such as herself.
"We urge Ms Jenner to support the transgender community by giving up the medals earned by competing against the wrong gender."
The controversial petition has already gone viral and spawned the hashtag #givebackthegold.
Although Jenner has not responded to the demands for her to return the accolades, many members of the online community have accused those behind it of trying to promote transphobia.
Meanwhile, transgender boxing promoter Kellie Maloney has said that Jenner's decision to make her first public outing in a revealing cream corseted bodysuit might have been sparked by her desire to regain her youth.
She told the Daily Mirror: "Personally, what 65-year-old woman would want to appear on a cover like that? But when we transition we go back in age. I'm 61 but I feel about 44."
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