The ex-Australian Rules footballer, formerly known as Dean Laidley, announced his gender transition in 2020
Transgender former men’s sports star Danielle Laidley was included on Maxim Australia’s ‘Hot 100’ list of women on Wednesday, ranking ahead of three politicians and two well-known sports wives.
Known as Dean during his playing and coaching days in the Australian Football League (AFL), Laidley came in at number 92 on the list, which purports to rank the most attractive and successful women in entertainment, sports, and pop culture. Laidley, who is now an activist for transgender rights, declined to comment to the Daily Mail when asked about the rankings.
Laidley’s gender transition became public knowledge in 2020 after the former Aussie rules star was arrested while sporting a blonde wig and a dress, and the mugshot was leaked to the public by members of the Victoria Police.
Caught with methamphetamine while under arrest for stalking a woman, the former North Melbourne coach was spared jail time, while the officers who leaked the mugshot were punished for what Laidley has described as an extreme invasion of privacy. Laidley’s lawyer blamed the behavior on gender dysphoria, revealing Dean was now Danielle.
The former sports star reached a confidential financial settlement with police over the leak, though it later emerged that Laidley had called the police to inform them of his own violations of existing bail conditions.
Laidley’s inclusion on the list comes less than a month after a documentary about the activist’s gender transition, ‘Revealed: Danielle Laidley: Two Tribes’, was broadcast on Stan. Since coming out as transgender, Laidley has focused on campaigning for “inclusivity” within the Australian Football League, despite claiming to no longer have interest in playing or coaching.
While some complained the former North Melbourne star’s inclusion was an example of a men’s publication trying desperately to be woke, women’s magazine Marie Claire Australia skewered the list as not woke enough due to its “thinly-veiled focus on looks,” pointing out that “most of the women in the top 10 are thin-framed or sporty.”
Actress Margot Robbie, the Australian-born star of the ‘Barbie’ movie, was ranked No.1 for the fourth time.
Last week, transgender social media personality Dylan Mulvaney was awarded Woman of the Year by Attitude Magazine, triggering further backlash against the controversial influencer.
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