April Hutchinson matches strong body and convictions to champion females in sport
- April Hutchinson
- May 27
- 1 min read
Published May 27th 2025
Lee Harding The Niagara Independent
Former Canadian champion powerlifter April Hutchinson is a person worth hearing with a story worth telling. Hutchinson was the keynote speaker at a recent event this author emceed, a banquet gala for a citizens group.
Everyone left inspired by the London, Ontario native, for the strength of her convictions and the triumphant arc of her life story.
Problems began for Hutchinson at the age of five when a neighbour began to sexually abuse her. The abuse continued for two years, unbeknownst to her father, an Ontario Provincial Police officer who was often away from home working overtime.
Hutchinson came to view femininity as a vulnerability. She cut her hair and wore hoodies, believing it would protect herself from exploitation.
“Can you imagine if that had happened to me now? I would surely have surely been put on possibly puberty blockers, and that’s why I can firmly say right now that there is no such thing as a trans child,” she told a gala audience.
As Hutchinson’s body changed, she turned to alcohol for “that feeling of being comfortable in my own skin.” As her body grew, so did her alcoholism, until by age 18 she “couldn’t really function” without it.
“Every sport that I actually played, whether it was basketball or baseball, I would probably carry a six pack of beer with me in a backpack,” she recalled.
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