Anna Turaeva, a champion powerlifter from Russia, recently shared a shocking story of how she was stopped by airport security and asked private questions to prove that she was a woman.
World-renowned female powerlifter Anna Turaeva wins apology from an airline after they refused to let her board. Anna Turaeva, a champion powerlifter from Russia, recently shared a shocking story of how she was humiliated by airline officials regarding her gender.
Turaeva, 42-year-old six-time world powerlifting winner and eight-time European powerlifting titleholder, revealed the unpleasant story of how she was prevented from boarding a plane from St Petersburg to Krasnodar, her home city.
The famous Russian athlete said that security staff believed she was a man pretending to be a woman and asked her several private and intimate question to establish her gender identity.
Anna Turaeva gained a masculine appearance after years of powerlifting and bodybuilding
Turaeva tried hard explaining to the carrier officials that they were wrong to ask her to prove her gender, especially since it was clearly stated on her passport.
Photo: Anna Turaeva/Facebook
“At the checkpoint, they refused to let me pass through saying that it was written in my passport that I am a woman,” Anna Turaeva posted on Facebook.
. “It was humiliating, I was reprimanded like a child in front of people in the queue. [I was asked] intimate questions. [They were] interested in who I am in my life – and in bed. The whole queue was watching this anarchy, and I felt as helpless as possible in this situation.”
Anna said that she quietly and politely tried to explain that she was indeed a woman and that after a lot of back and forth, she was finally allowed to board the aeroplane.
However, the powerlifter later hit back at the airline, Utair, posting on her social media that the way she was treated was wrong.
“I have worked all my youth – with my blood and sweat for my country, not to be treated this way,” the famous athlete wrote.
Utair quickly issued a public apology to Turaeva, admitting that “such service is unacceptable”, but the damage had already been done to their public image.
you need 8 hours of sleep? In the words of Big Bird, We ride at dawn bitches