Why I No Longer Have FOMO About Skipping CrossFit in 2025
I’ll admit, when I made the decision not to compete in CrossFit in 2025 to focus on other sports, I had a little bit of FOMO. Competitive CrossFit has been a major part of my life, and stepping away felt like a tough call.
But after CrossFit announced its new gender policy, that FOMO evaporated just like CrossFit’s claim to be for everyone.
The Power of Fitness and Community
One of the most beautiful things about fitness is its ability to transform lives—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Exercise is proven to reduce anxiety and depression, boost self-confidence, and create a sense of belonging. For transgender individuals, who often face high levels of discrimination, bullying, and mental health struggles, finding a supportive community in fitness can be life-changing.
The Hypocrisy of CrossFit’s Policy
CrossFit has long positioned itself as a welcoming and inclusive fitness community. Their “We Open Together” advertising campaign claims “The Open is for all of us. Every rep, every push, every breakthrough - we do it together.”, highlighting community and implying that CrossFit is a place where everyone belongs. They regularly talk about “inclusion”, “community” and “a sense of belonging” on their website.
But this new policy? It flies in the face of that message. It sends a clear signal that some athletes—specifically trans athletes—aren’t truly welcome.
The new gender policy reads, “All athletes are welcome to participate in CrossFit Games events. However, to maintain fairness and the integrity of the competition, athletes must compete in the division corresponding to their gender assigned at birth.” “Hormone and metabolic modulators” are on the list of banned substances and are not eligible for a Therapeutic Use Exemption.
Let’s be clear: This policy is not about fairness. It’s about exclusion.
This is functionally a trans ban for anyone who has medically transitioned.
Check out this post from Benjamin Kennedy to see the real world impacts of this policy.
A Solution in Search of a Problem
CrossFit’s new policy effectively bans any transgender athlete who has medically transitioned from competing in their gender category. Here’s the reality: Transgender athletes make up an incredibly small percentage of competitors at the elite levels of CrossFit (any sport for that matter). We’re talking about a policy aimed at regulating a non-issue. Yet CrossFit has decided to police bodies that already face immense scrutiny and discrimination.
CrossFit has a lot of problems and their athletes have valid reasons to have safety concerns in competition. But trans athletes ARE NOT ONE OF THOSE REASONS!
How Is This Even Enforceable?
Another major question: How does CrossFit plan to enforce this? Will there be invasive testing? Will trans athletes be singled out for scrutiny? The rules state any athlete may confidentially challenge the eligibility of another athlete and that CrossFit reserves the right to request verification of an athlete’s gender assigned at birth. Birth certificates can be changed to reflect a person’s correct gender so how are you going to enforce this? This policy not only promotes exclusion but also raises serious ethical concerns about how gender policing will take place within the sport.
Supporting Trans Athletes
While CrossFit takes a step backward, organizations like The Out Foundation are doing the real work of inclusion. Their Out in the Open initiative actively supports LGBTQ+ athletes and fosters a true sense of belonging. This is the type of work that actually strengthens the fitness community—not exclusionary policies designed to push people out. This year they have gone a step further and created an alternative to the Open, an independent competition ALL OF US can take part in like CrossFit promises but has failed to deliver.
My Decision Feels Right
A sport that claims to be for everyone but implements rules that exclude an already marginalized group isn’t something I want to support. Trans people belong in sports. Period. And I’ll continue to stand with them—whether in the gym, on the competition floor, or in the fight for true inclusion.