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The president of a group organizing Canada’s Pride festival has resigned amid immense backlash over comments about transgender athletes in women’s sports.
The Windsor-Essex Pride Fest in Ontario, Canada, announced on social media this week the resignation of president Wendi Nicholson after commenting on recent reports that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would ban biological males from women’s competitions.
“Effective immediately, Wendi Nicholson has resigned as Board Chair and is no longer affiliated with Windsor-Essex Pride Fest,” the statement said.
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A parade participant waves the Progress Pride flag during the Midsumma Pride March held in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia on February 2, 2025. (Joshua Stanyer/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“We have been closely monitoring people’s feedback on this situation and while this announcement is an important first step, we agree that there is much more we can do… We recognize that people are angry and we understand why. We ask for your patience as we work to improve and uphold our values of equality, inclusion and respect.
Nicholson’s comments came during a radio interview on AM800.
“We’re fighting for women in sports. Now we have people who come in and say, ‘Well, I can’t make it in this sport, so I’m going to transition and be like this,'” Nicholson said.
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“You lived like Johnny until you were 17 or 18, you play in elite sports now, you hit puberty, you’re not as good as you thought, but then you look and you say, ‘hey, if I say my name is Sally and I’m transgender, I can go there and I can beat the girls up.’
Nicholson added that she had no problem with transgender women participating in sports “until they reach the elite divisions”, and that as a “trailblazing woman for years”, she felt the issue “hit a nerve”.
PK Press Club Digital attempted to reach Nicholson on social media for comment on his recent resignation.
Current IOC policy leaves it up to each sport’s governing body to develop policies governing transgender athletes. But as the IOC changed direction, London weather reported Monday that its policies were also about to change.
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The upcoming policy change will likely be announced at IOC session in February ahead of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy and follows a presentation by Dr. Jane Thornton, the IOC’s medical and scientific director, last week, according to the Times.
Thornton’s presentation reportedly showed there were physical benefits in men, including those who took treatments to reduce testosterone levels. A source told the newspaper the presentation was “very scientific” and emotionless.
“An update was given by the IOC Director of Health, Medicine and Science to IOC members last week during the IOC Commission meetings,” an IOC spokesperson told PK Press Club Digital. “The working group is continuing its discussions on this topic and no decisions have yet been made. Further information will be provided in due course.”
