Three-time Team Canada powerlifter and current Women's NAPF M1 84kg+ deadlift record holder. April was suspended from the Canadian Powerlifting Union for publicly opposing male inclusion in women's competition — and turned that suspension into a national advocacy campaign that reached Alberta's Premier.
Women's sports advocacy; #KeepFemaleSportsFemale
April Hutchinson's advocacy campaign grew out of a personal act that became a national cause. Her 2023 complaint to the Canadian Powerlifting Union — and the CPU's decision to warn her for "hate speech" rather than address her concern — set off one of the most visible and consequential women's sports advocacy campaigns in Canadian history. What followed included national and international media appearances, legislative testimony, and the construction of a cross-sport coalition of athletes and advocates who had witnessed the same thing and stayed silent until April went first.
Her suspension from competitive power lifting made her a recognized figure internationally, and her direct engagement with the Alberta government resulted in tangible legislative change protecting biological females in high school sport. The campaign, carried under the banner #KeepFemaleSportsFemale, has become a rallying point for athletes across multiple disciplines who object to the inclusion of male-born athletes in women's competition, and a demonstration of what one athlete with the courage to be specific can set in motion.
Biography
April Hutchinson is a competitive power lifter from London, Ontario, and one of Canada's most prominent advocates for sex-based sporting categories. A three-time Team Canada member and current Women's North American Power lifting Federation M1 84kg+ deadlift record holder, April has competed at the national level for years — and has paid a significant professional price for her willingness to speak the truth about what she witnessed in her sport.
In 2023, April filed a complaint with the Canadian Power lifting Union after a male athlete identifying as a woman was entered into the women's category at nationals. The CPU responded not by addressing her concern, but by warning her she was engaging in hate speech. April withdrew from the open competition in protest and began speaking publicly — appearing on national and international media, testifying at legislative hearings, and building a coalition of athletes and advocates across Canada and the United States.
Her suspension from the CPU for publicly affirming biological sex made international headlines. Rather than silencing her, it broadened her platform significantly. April was consulted by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith before the province announced changes protecting biological females in high school sport — making Alberta one of the first provinces in Canada to act legislatively on this issue.
April's advocacy is personal as well as principled. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, she is unequivocal about why sex-segregated sport matters — not only for competitive fairness, but for the dignity, privacy, and safety of girls and women at every level of athletic participation.
