SheWon, like HeCheated, used dubious methodology to manufacture misleading statistics surrounding trans women in sports, an investigation by
Erin in the Morning found. In turn,
hate groups and anti-trans zealots were able to propel misinformation about trans people into the highest halls of national and international governance.
Together, HeCheated and SheWon may falsely make it seem as if there are thousands upon thousands of trans women and girls dominating their presumed-cis competitors across the globe. But many of their claims are uncorroborated or just plain wrong. Nonetheless, they have become part of a thriving online ecosystem dedicated to documenting, compiling, and attacking every incident of trans or presumed-trans women and girls for merely existing, not just in sport, but in public life.
Where did these numbers come from?
How dubiously-sourced lists like “HeCheated” and “SheWon” made their way from the anonymous backwaters of the internet to mainstream media, the United Nations, and statehouses across the country.
www.erininthemorning.com
But the statistic did not originate from a United Nations report; it was merely “information submitted” by third parties to Reem Alsalem, a Special Rapporteur, which is a kind of independent expert who advises the Assembly. A Special Rapporteur doesn’t express the official views of the United Nations, although
Alsalem has publicly maintained the veracity of
the report and its claims.
As
Erin in the Morning previously reported, Alsalem has a history of opposing trans-affirming policies, such as those found in
President Joe Biden’s Title IX reforms and standards set by
the World Health Organization supporting self-identification.
The real sources of these statistics, SheWon and HeCheated, sought to stay anonymous, but there are some smoking guns connecting the sites to well-known extremist communities.
