Trans Runner Valentina Petrillo Defends Appearance In Paralympics, Slams J.K. Rowling

Male-born runner Valentina Petrillo is pushing back against those who criticized his participation in women's events at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris — and that includes J.K. Rowling.

Petrillo, who competed as a man up until age 45, became the first openly transgender Paralympian last week and reached the semi-finals of the T12 200-meter and 400-meter for visually impaired athletes. And Petrillo believes he had every right to compete alongside the female athletes.

"Since 2015, when the IOC opened the Olympics to transgender people, there has only been one person who competed, Laurel Hubbard," Petrillo told The Times, citing a weightlifter from New Zealand who participated in the 2020 Tokyo Games. "And there has only been one (openly transgender) person that has participated at the Paralympics, me.

"So all this fear that trans people will destroy the world of women's sport actually does not exist."

Valentina Petrillo of Team Italy competes during the Women's 400m - T12 Semi-Finals on day five of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games.

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Born Fabrizio Petrillo, the now-50-year-old changed his name to Valentina and began hormone therapy in 2019.

According to Fox News Digital, World Para Athletics allows transgender athletes to compete in women's events if they can show that their testosterone levels have been below 10 nanomoles per liter for at least 12 months before competing. Last year, Petrillo won two bronze medals in women's events at the World Para Athletics Championships.

But since Petrillo was the only male athlete in women's events at the 2024 Paralympics, he's writing it off as no big deal.

"People said (lots of men) would compete as women just so they could win, but that has not happened at all," Petrillo said. "It is just transphobia."

Except it has happened — many times.

Valentina Petrillo Fires Back At ‘Cheat’ Accusations From J.K. Rowling

Acclaimed author J.K. Rowling has long been a leading voice against male participation in women's sports. So when news broke of Petrillo's participation in the Paris Games, Rowling, of course, offered her thoughts. 

"Why all the anger about the inspirational Petrillo?" Rowling wrote on X. "The cheat community has never had this kind of visibility! Out and proud cheats like Petrillo prove the era of cheat-shaming is over. What a role model! I say we give Lance Armstrong his medals back and move on. #Cheats #NoShame"

READ: J.K. Rowling Gives Her Take On Transgender Paralympic Sprinter, Dunks On Critics

But according to Petrillo, Rowling is just another one of those "transphobes."

"J.K. Rowling is only concerned about the fact that I use the female toilet, but she doesn’t know anything about me," Petrillo said.

The athlete's comments came after Petrillo had previously responded to the criticism, telling reporters that he has "never read Harry Potter."

Rowling — who is a billionaire, thanks to all the people who have read Harry Potter — is undoubtedly very broken up about this.