IdeAs ()
100% woman : la course d’une cycliste trans contre la controverse
Abstract
The documentary 100% Woman: The Story of Michelle Dumaresq follows the first two years of Canadian downhill mountain biker Michelle Dumaresq’s career. As a national champion and member of the Canadian team, her participation in national and international competitions at the beginning of the 2000s provoked strong reactions from her opponents because she is a trans woman. Accused of threatening the fairness of competition and the physical integrity of cis women, her story is, therefore, representative of the controversy that the presence of trans women in female sporting contests still sparks today. As an advocate for Michelle, the documentary immerses us in her daily sporting life. It presents her as a champion above all, eschewing victimizing or exoticizing representations of trans-identity in traditional cultural productions. Through various interviews (with Michelle, her opponents, representatives of sporting institutions, etc.), this film allows for the exploration of different aspects of the controversy that unfold in the sporting arena and are intensely embodied by the protagonists: fair play in sports, legal issues, the prevalence of biological approaches. Confronted with the violence suffered by Michelle, 100% Woman proposes a subtle plea in favor of the human rights of trans athletes and shows how this sportswoman has become, despite herself, the standard-bearer of the trans cause in sports.
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