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Will Gwen Berry be cut from Olympic squad? Past rape jokes and racist tweets resurface

About a decade ago, Gwen Berry shared tweets with inappropriate rape jokes, racist tweets and hints about assaulting a White child

Olympian Gwen Berry recently courted controversy for reportedly turning away from the flag while the National Anthem was being played. The champion hammer-thrower also brandished a t-shirt emblazoned with the word 'Activist/Athlete' as a sign of protest at the medal ceremony of US Olympic Trials on June 26, 2021. The 31-year-old athlete accused the organizers of the trials in Eugene, Oregon, of being “disrespectful” to play the National Anthem while she was honored with a bronze medal. 

Following the social media backlash from the general public as well as conservative US senators, Berry remained unapologetic. "I never said that I didn't want to go to the Olympic games, that's why I competed and got third and made the team," she said amid the rising demands of her campaign to be defunded. "I never said that I hated the country. I never said that. All I said was I respect my people enough to not stand for or acknowledge something that disrespects them. I love my people. Point blank, period," Berry further added. However, now a few of her problematic tweets and posts from a decade ago have resurfaced on social media, which expose her racist jibes mocking White people, Chinese and Mexicans. The mother of one also shared a few tweets that contain inappropriate rape jokes, use of the word 'retarded' and hints about assaulting a White child. 

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'I'm about to rape my lunch'

The tweets date back to 2012 when Berry was in her early 20s and competing for the US at the national level. It was before she was a part of the 2016 Rio Olympics or even the Pan American Sports Festival of 2014. In an April 2011 tweet shared by DailyMail, Berry wrote, "Just saw this gurl wearing heels with white socks!! What the Hell..#chineseppl always try to start new trends..smh..ggguuurrrllll." She also lashed out at Mexicans as she once tweeted in November 2012, "Mexicans just don't care about ppl."

Berry also displayed a pattern of mocking White people time and again, including some really problematic tweets. "This lil white boy being bad as hell!! I would smack his a** then stomp him!! Smh #whitepplKids hella disrespectful," she wrote in a furious tweet from June 2011. The same year, she added another tweet saying, "White people are sooo retarded when they are drunk."

Her jibes against White people did not stop here. "BasketballWives is proof that white ppl run they got damn mouths too much n they nosey as hell n they start drama btw crazy blk b&^%^%," read another of her tweets from July 2011. In October 2012, she spoke about a certain individual named Julie, writing, "Julie from #BGC gotta nice ass body for a white girl."

The outspoken athlete also tweeted some problematic jokes about rape, which would have gotten her into serious trouble in the present-day situation. In March 2012, she posted a tweet mocking rape survivors, "S/O to all the females that’s gon get drunk, get recked by 4 dudes, then cry rape this weekend." In another tweet, she posted, "I'm about to rape my lunch."

While Berry is yet to issue an apology for her past tweets and opinions, she was 'canceled' by the internet who dubbed her past acts as 'shameful'. 

GOP Congressional candidate Vic DeGrammont called Berry "Social justice activist with racist tweets." "I guess #GwenBerry has a problem with white, Mexican, and Chinese ethinicities in the US," a user tweeted. Another taunted, "Oh look, Gwen Berry isn’t really against racism..." Another person wrote, " you are a vile racist and your career is over"