FRANCE: The Two Top Players In A Women’s Elite Basketball League Are Both Male

By Reduxx Team

Two trans-identified males are dominating a top women’s basketball league in France, outranking every female player in the league this season. Julie “Jimmy” Tétart, 33, and Aurore Pautou, 43, rank first and second respectively in Ligue Féminine 2 (LF2) this season based on evaluation statistics.

LF2 is France’s second-highest level of women’s basketball, sitting just below the top tier, Ligue Féminine de Basketball. Playing for teams in Monaco and Grenoble, Tétart and Pautou currently outrank every female player in overall statistical efficiency.

Despite being older than most of his much younger female peers, Tétart leads the field with an average of 35.5 evaluation points per game. Though Pautou trails a good distance behind with 22.2, he still ranks just above the top-ranked female player, Inès Nezerwa, who has 19.9 points.

Tétart formerly played for the ESC Tergnier male team prior to declaring a transgender identity. Last year, he rejoined the sport as a “woman.”

In an interview with RMC Sport, Tétart described his performance as his “reward” for having gone through a number of cosmetic “gender affirming” surgeries, including a vocal cord surgery that significantly reduced his lung capacity.

“When I came back, I was told ‘you have basketball skills but physically you’re out of shape and you don’t know how to play.’ I stopped for several years and I had to work a lot,” he told the French sports news outlet, boasting of improvements to his athletic prowess.

“It’s not my goal to be a symbol, but if I can help, all the better,” Tétart said. “My Instagram is still public, by the way. Back then, I would have liked to be able to talk to someone, to have a point of reference regarding trans identity. I know I’m putting myself out there by speaking out, but I prefer to take the time and energy to explain what it’s like and, I hope, to be able to have peace of mind for the rest of my short career.”

Unlike Tétart, Pautou does not frequently speak about his transgender identity, but claimed the title of the “first trans woman to become a professional basketball player” in 2021. Pautou had stepped away from basketball for a period of time, but rejoined after playing against “senior women” at a local gym.

“While I never thought I’d be able to play again, one evening in October 2019, something clicked,” he said. “A little online research later, I went to a gym near my home where senior women were training. I asked the coach if I could play on a hoop, and well… I can’t even describe the feeling… pure joy.”

Since coming back to basketball, he has won multiple titles in 3 v. 3 tournaments and, at the end of the last Division 2 season in 2024-25, he was ranked as the top player overall.

Both men have complained about “transphobia” in the sport, with Tétart lamenting about a lack of support from spectators and action by referees.

“Unfortunately, nothing happens. They pretend they don’t hear or see anything and play as if nothing’s wrong. It’s new, unprecedented, we’re not used to it, but the comments are degrading and humiliating.” Tétart suggested that there should be sanctions against fans, like there currently are for those who hurl racist abuse at players in other sporting leagues.

Likely due to his ability to help his team dominate the season, some of Tétart’s colleagues have backed him publicly. But others have expressed disapproval of his decision to play in a female league.

One coach from another team noted that there was a “clear difference in physical ability” between Tétart and female players. The coach said that while all people should “have the freedom to be who they want … one person’s freedom ends where another’s begins.” The coach continued by noting that female players were “working” in the professional leagues, and that their ability to earn professional contracts was challenged by being forced to compete against men.

Current French Basketball Federation (FFBB) policies allow males to play on women’s teams providing they have legally changed their sex, but recent reports indicate they are “reviewing the issue very seriously” after backlash from female players. Tétart had stated that if the rules were to change and he was prevented from playing against women, he would look to switch to a foreign league.

The news of Pautou and Tétart’s participation in women’s basketball was brought to light by women’s sports advocacy group HeCheated.org, which took to social media to condemn the trans activists who often deny that trans-identified males are taking opportunities from women in sports.

“This is just another reminder to [trans rights activists], just because you don’t know about them, it doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Men are physiologically different than women. When they are allowed to compete against women, even if you don’t about it, they are almost guaranteed to be at the top somewhere,” the group wrote in a tweet published on December 19.

According to a 2024 United Nations report, almost 900 athletic medals have been taken from girls and women by “trans-identifying” males competing in female categories.

The 20-page report reviewed “violence against women and girls in sports,” adding that more than 600 biologically female athletes have lost at least 890 medals to transgender competitors. These defeats occurred in over 400 competitions in 29 sports.

“Male athletes have specific attributes considered advantageous in certain sports, such as strength and testosterone levels which are higher than the average range for females even before puberty, thereby resulting in the loss of fair opportunity,” the report reads. “To avoid the loss of a fair opportunity, males must not compete in the female categories of sport.”

Despite the shocking review, trans activists continue to deny that allowing males to self-identify into women’s sports puts female athletes at any disadvantage.

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Reduxx Team
Reduxx Team
Reduxx is your stop for pro-woman, pro-child safeguarding news and opinion that goes outside the mainstream narratives.
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