❓WHAT HAPPENED: Jammie Booker, a biological man, won the 2025 World’s Strongest Woman competition in Texas, leading to outrage from athletes and coaches.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jammie Booker, Andrea Thompson, Rebecca Roberts, and Laurence Shahlaei.

📍WHEN & WHERE: November 2025 in Arlington, Texas.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Transgender women, people born male, should not be competing in the women’s category.” – Rebecca Roberts

🎯IMPACT: Booker’s win has been overturned, with the competition claiming they were not aware that he was a really a man.

The 2025 World’s Strongest Woman competition in Texas has ignited controversy after male competitor Jammie Booker won the title. Andrea Thompson of Great Britain, who finished second, walked off the podium in protest, and many within the strongwoman community later referred to her as the rightful winner.

Rebecca Roberts, a three-time champion, said competitors and organizers were unaware of Booker’s background before the event. In a public statement, she wrote, “Transgender women, people born male, should not be competing in the women’s category. This isn’t about identity or politics; it’s about the undeniable physical differences in strength-based sports.” Roberts reiterated her position that “Women’s divisions must remain biologically born female-only.”

Thompson’s coach, Laurence Shahlaei, also challenged the result. Praising Thompson’s preparation and performance, he wrote, “You worked your a** off for this, and I’m so proud of you,” adding that the women’s category exists to protect fairness in competition. Mitchell Hooper, the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, publicly congratulated Thompson, while three-time World’s Strongest Woman Donna Moore commented that Thompson was the “True winner of World’s Strongest WOMAN this weekend.”

In a YouTube video posted eight years ago, Booker admits he is transgender, complaining about living under the “rule” of religious parents, and it is alleged that he has a public history of appearing in transgender pornography.

Ultimately, the competition overturned his win amid public backlash, upgrading Thompson to the number one spot and claiming they did not know he was a man.

Policies regarding transgender athletes in women’s sports are shifting across the United States. Earlier in 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14201, directing federal agencies and U.S. sports bodies to ensure that women’s categories are limited to those born female. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee subsequently adjusted its athlete eligibility standards to comply with federal directives.

Federal immigration authorities have also adopted new visa guidance treating participation of transgender women in women’s athletic events as a negative factor in visa evaluations. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against the state of Maine, arguing that its policies allowing transgenders to compete against girls in school sports violate Title IX by granting an unfair competitive advantage to male athletes.

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