Emily Bridges says that the current punching bag in society is trans women.
In an interview with DIVA magazine, Bridges called on the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual community to put their voice out in support.
In April, the 21-year-old was stopped from competing in her first elite women's race by the UCI.
She is being assessed by the UCI to race in women's events.
Bridges says she doesn't have an advantage over her competitors and can prove it with data.
We are the current punching bag populist movements. Bridges said that the culture war is against them.
There needs to be more positive voices. People are constructing opinions.
The more studies are done, the more concrete evidence will be.
The patriarchal structure that exists in the rest of society makes sport even more important.
A group of elite female cyclists, including retired Olympians, scientists and researchers, wrote a letter at the height of the debate about Bridges, calling for the UCI to repeal its policy on gender identity.
The group said some female cyclists in the UK were willing to boycott races in order for the UCI and British Cycling to hear their concerns about fairness in their sport.
Lord Coe issued a warning over the "very fragile" future of women's sport, while a major review said that fairness and safety can't coexist.
Bridges began hormone therapy last year as part of her gender dysphoria treatment.
While having hormone therapy, Bridges continued to compete in men's races, finishing 43rd out of 45 riders in the elite men's criterium at the Loughborough Cycling Festival in May 2021.
Bridges won a men's points race at the British Universities Championships in her final men's race.
She said that it would have been better for her mental health if she had not ridden in men's events.
lowered levels of testosterone made her eligible to compete in women's events. The British Cycling regulations that required riders to have low testosterone levels for a year prior to competition have been suspended pending a review.
British Cycling was told by the UCI that Bridges could only participate in the National Omnium Championships if her eligibility to race in international competition was confirmed.
It was awful to be ruled out so close to the event.
Everything was saying that she was going to beat Laura Kenny. I am not sure why they are thinking that. She said she wasn't doing that well.
They think I will beat a multiple Olympic champion because I'm trans.
We knew it would cause uproar in the media and it did.
Bridges deleted her social media for two weeks after she was told she couldn't compete.
One of the most high profile current athletes to speak publicly on the issue but who did not sign the letter to the UCI said that both female and trans athletes had been let down by existing inclusion policies.
Sally Munday, the chief executive of UK Sport, said the organisation would fund Bridges if she was selected and given approval to compete for Britain in the future.
It has been a struggle. Bridges told DIVA that he has been trying to get through the day and get to the other side.
There is so much hate and criticism that I don't look at it. I know it is happening and I try to have that drive me, but that is not easy to do.
She wants to make the world a better place. I want to inspire people and help them through their journey to be who they are, and try to act as a bit of a role model.
Some argue that trans women should not compete in elite women's sport because of their advantages, while others argue that sport should be more inclusive.
Trans women can compete in female categories without their biological sex giving them an unfair advantage or presenting a threat of injury to female competitors, if the balance of inclusion, sporting fairness and safety is not right.
There should be no assumption that a trans athlete has an unfair advantage in female sporting events according to the framework released by the International Olympic Committee.
Bridges said that she understood how people would come to this conclusion because a lot of people still view trans women as men with male anatomies.
hormone replacement therapy has a huge effect. After four months, the aerobic performance difference is gone.
There are studies for trans women in sport. The performance drop-off that I have seen is massive. I don't have an advantage over my competitors and I have data to back that up.
This view is disputed by some sports scientists, who say the differences in hormones during puberty can create significant performance advantages for men and women.
Bridges said that it might take a few years, but it will get better.
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