In the summer of 2021, as the world watched athletes compete in Tokyo, few Americans knew the name Chelsea Wolfe. The BMX cyclist served as an alternate on Team USA’s women’s team, making history as the first openly transgender athlete to qualify for the Olympics representing the United States.
Yet it wasn’t her athletic achievements that would thrust her into the national spotlight. It was a controversial social media post about the American flag.
“My goal is to win the Olympics so I can burn a US flag on the podium. This is what they focus on during a pandemic. Hurting trans children,” Wolfe wrote on social media in 2021, sparking immediate backlash across the country.
The statement drew sharp criticism from conservatives and supporters alike, forcing Wolfe to address the controversy in a subsequent Fox News interview. Rather than backing down, she doubled down on her position while attempting to clarify her motivations.
“Anyone who thinks that I don’t care about the United States is sorely mistaken,” Wolfe explained to the network. “I take a stand against fascism because I care about this country and I’m not going to let it fall into the hands of fascists after so many people have fought and sacrificed to prevent fascism from taking hold abroad.”
She continued: “As a citizen who wants to be proud of my home country, I’m sure as hell not going to let it take hold here.”
The controversy caught the attention of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who responded on social media just one day after Wolfe’s Fox News interview was published. “Chelsea Wolfe is a national disgrace,” Kirk wrote to his millions of followers on what was then Twitter.
This exchange would prove to be a defining moment in Wolfe’s public persona, establishing her as one of the country’s most polarizing figures. The tension between the two would later take a tragic turn following Kirk’s assassination during a debate on a Utah college campus, when Wolfe celebrated his death on social media.
Born in Florida and raised in a family of BMX riders, Wolfe began cycling at age six and pursued professional athletic dreams from an early age. She had already undergone gender transition before competing in BMX in 2014, eventually rising through the ranks to earn her spot on the Olympic team.
The invitation letter from USA Cycling at the time praised Wolfe as “a role model, a visible symbol and an ambassador of our sport,” according to Outsports. Her inclusion marked a significant milestone for transgender representation in Olympic competition.
However, Wolfe’s Olympic dreams were effectively ended in 2023 when the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) passed new regulations banning transgender women from competing in the women’s division. The rule change came as a devastating blow to the athlete.
“For them to make this rule change, implement it [almost immediately], two weeks before the world championship?” Wolfe told SELF magazine. “I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my throat. It was like my entire world had just ended with no warning.”
Speaking to Bicycling.com about the mental health impact of the ban, Wolfe revealed the severity of her struggles: “I have to have daily check ins with my therapist because I’m on suicide watch, for good reason.”
She also reflected on her resilience in the face of multiple challenges: “I don’t have the luxury of being able to be a pushover with being queer, being trans, being a woman, being autistic. I have to be able to stick up for myself to stay alive.”
Team USA has since distanced itself from Wolfe following her controversial social media posts. In an official statement, the organization clarified: “The views of current and former national team athletes are their own and do not reflect those of USA Cycling. Chelsea Wolfe has not been a member of the USA Cycling National Team or a member of USA Cycling since 2023.”
Jennifer Sey, founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics, which describes itself as “the only athletic brand that stands up for women’s sports,” believes Wolfe should face further consequences. Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, Sey stated: “Being banned by USA Cycling should be the first one.”
The transgender athlete’s controversial statements extend beyond her Olympic flag-burning comments. In July 2023, she posted an Instagram photo wearing a t-shirt reading “Transphobia is N**ism,” ending the caption with: “Where I’m from we don’t take too kindly to those types.”
Recent incidents have only added to the controversy surrounding Wolfe. When protesters gathered at a women’s race where she was competing, tensions escalated quickly. According to reports, Wolfe repeatedly told protesters: “Go suck a sawn-off shotgun. You’re a N**i piece of s***. We don’t f*** with fascists. That’s how we feel about N**is around these parts. This is America. We kill N**is.”
Sey condemned this behavior, stating: “Wolfe is overtly advocating for violence against any woman who dares to stand up for herself and fair competition. This is misogyny plain and simple.”
