Former Canadian champion powerlifter April Hutchinson is a person worth hearing with a story worth telling.
Hutchinson was the keynote speaker at a recent event this author emceed, a banquet gala for a citizens group. Everyone left inspired by the London, Ontario native, for the strength of her convictions and the triumphant arc of her life story.
Problems began for Hutchinson at the age of five when a neighbour began to sexually abuse her. The abuse continued for two years, unbeknownst to her father, an Ontario Provincial Police officer who was often away from home working overtime.
Hutchinson came to view femininity as a vulnerability. She cut her hair and wore hoodies, believing it would protect herself from exploitation.
“Can you imagine if that had happened to me now? I would surely have surely been put on possibly puberty blockers, and that’s why I can firmly say right now that there is no such thing as a trans child,” she told a gala audience.
As Hutchinson’s body changed, she turned to alcohol for “that feeling of being comfortable in my own skin.” As her body grew, so did her alcoholism, until by age 18 she “couldn’t really function” without it.
“Every sport that I actually played, whether it was basketball or baseball, I would probably carry a six pack of beer with me in a backpack,” she recalled.
Despite her addiction, Hutchinson had a “great career” in a government job. But by her early 40’s, alcohol was destroying her health. Her skin turned an unhealthy grey and her doctor gave her two years to live. Yet, she still couldn’t kick the habit.
“I lived by myself in a condo. Everyone had left me. Everyone had given up on me, and the weaning off the alcohol didn’t work, so I attempted to take my own life by overdosing on drugs and booze,” Hutchinson recalls.
The alcoholic woke up in intensive care and concluded she was alive for a reason. In the fall of 2019, she enrolled in a 30-day program at the Westover Treatment Centre in Thamesville, Ontario, and emerged determined to make healthy choices.
The pursuit of fitness led her to powerlifting and a coach who trained her in his garage. The pandemic couldn’t stop her from workouts two hours per day, five to six days per week. In 2021, she won her first regional championship in Ontario. At North American Regionals in 2022, she won in the Master’s category and set a deadlift record of 480 pounds.
But just when Hutchinson’s strength of body and will got her to the top, her strength of convictions got her removed. Through a Facebook powerlifting group, she became friends with fellow competitor Anne Andres. In conversation, Andres confessed to being biologically male.
Hutchinson recalled saying, “‘You’ve been competing in the women’s category all this time and taking gold medals. Have you not told the federation this?’ And he’s like, ‘Well, no, why would I? I’m a woman.’ And I said, ‘Well, no, you’re not, and you’re lying and you’re cheating, and I’m going to speak up about it.’”
After a somewhat sleepless week, Hutchinson followed through. She complained to the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU) that Andres was taking medals from “the rightful female owners.” She said it was unfair to put women through the financial and physical hurdles of her sport only to “go up against a sex that is bigger, faster, stronger.”
The two-page letter received no reply. With the encouragement of sports performance coach Linda Blade, and former U.S. college swimmer Riley Gaines, Hutchinson began to post online that female sports should be kept for biological women. Finally, the CPU wrote back to Hutchinson, but only to warn her that she was engaged in hate speech.
Hutchinson took gold in the Master’s category at nationals in Vancouver in 2023. She was prepared to compete in the open competition that included younger ages, but withdrew in protest when she found out Andres would be competing.
Shortly thereafter, Andres crushed a previous women’s record and mocked a biological female opponent for having weak “T-rex” arms. In response, Hutchinson complained about the rules on Piers’ Morgan’s Talk TV.
“My boyfriend could basically walk in tomorrow, identify as female, compete…No proof, no ID required, just basically going on how you feel that day or whatever gender you want,” Hutchinson told Morgan.
This outspokenness prompted a two-year suspension by the CPU, reduced to one year on appeal. But Hutchinson’s actions were not in vain. Now transgender competitors have to artificially lower their testosterone levels and demonstrate they have done so for 12 months prior to competition.
Hutchinson walked away from the sport but with new opportunities. She got a sponsorship deal from a supplement company and is part of a clothing line that promotes biological females in sports. She was also consulted by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith before announcing changes that would preserve female high school sports for biological females.
As for Andres, the powerlifter received a six-month suspension last fall for inappropriate comments with Hutchinson and Smith in view. Hutchison may have slimmed down since her powerlifting days ended, but she remains a tower of strength and an inspiring example for athletes and others who believe women’s sports are best kept for biological women.
