A transgender former football champion has made the Maxim Australia’s Hot 100 list for the second year in a row, prompting confusion amongst Aussie netizens. The list, intended to highlight the most successful and beautiful women in entertainment, sports, and pop culture, ranked Danielle Laidley in 92nd place.
Laidley is a former star coach who played for the West Coast Eagles and North Melbourne in the Australian Football League from 1987 to 1997. He “officially” announced his transition in 2020, shocking many fans with his dramatic transformation from “Dean” to “Dani.”
The 56-year-old ex-footballer reportedly kept his gender identity a “secret” until photos of him in women’s clothing were accidentally sent to his daughters on Snapchat in 2019.
“I sort of started to live my life as me with a small group of friends, but not in front of my children,” explained Laidley. “I would try my darndest to keep the two very separate.”
Laidley explained that in addition to learning how to use the picture-sharing app, he was struggling with a meth addiction at the time.
“I was learning how to use Snapchat because that’s how I communicated particularly with the girls every day. And one Sunday morning, I was learning how to do it. I didn’t have my glasses on… Instead of pressing save, I pressed send. They got pictures of me,” he said.
As well as losing contact with his family after coming out, Laidley, who is over 6-feet tall, was arrested in May 2020 for stalking a woman after bombarding the victim, a former tenant, with over 100 menacing phone calls, emails and text messages.
”I am going to ram you with the car when you leave,” Laidley reportedly said to the woman, calling her a “slut” and a “cunt.” When police arrived, Laidley was wearing a dress, makeup, and a blond wig. A plastic bag containing 0.43g of methamphetamine crystals was found tucked into his bra.
During the trial, Laidley’s lawyer blamed his behavior on “gender dysphoria.”
Although he was placed on an adjourned undertaking instead of being charged, he later pleaded guilty to drug possession with regards to the meth found in his bra. Following his arrest for the incident, photos were leaked of Laidley in custody, revealing his transition to a wider audience.
Laidley’s inclusion on Maxim Australia‘s Hot 100 list prompted discussion on social media after lawyer and commentator Katherine Deves called attention to it on X (formerly Twitter).
“Fucking hell. The level of piss taking with this is of epic proportions,” one user responded to Deves.
“Seriously? Is stalking women ok if you’re a man in a dress,” another asked.
Although news of Laidley making the Hot 100 left many confused, this is not the first time a trans-identified male has ended up on a “woman-only” list.
Last week, trans-identified male influencer Dylan Mulvaney was awarded Woman of The Year by Attitude Magazine, sparking international backlash. Mulvaney, who made headlines for relaying his transition on TikTok in a series called Days of Girlhood, accepted the award at the 2023 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards ceremony in the United Kingdom.
Similarly, as reported by the pro-woman news outlet Reduxx, a male social media influencer took home Glamour Brazil’s Woman of The Year in 2022. Linn da Quebrada won the top award despite vocally stating he does not identify as a woman, but as a male transvestite.
Prior to winning the award, Quebrada had also stated that he didn’t believe women “exist.”
