Female students at Washington High School Demonstrate Protest Following State Title Win by Male Competitor
Weekend headlines saw several biologically male athletes emerge victorious in high school girls' state track meets. AB Hernandez, from California, nabbed the high jump and triple jump titles, while Veronica Garcia, Washington's 200-meter champ, faced a stark reality amidst cheers – boos.
Garcia, the new girls' state champion, was met with jeers as the results were announced, inciting vibrant expressions of dissent. Tumwater High School's team, her competitors, donned "Keep Women's Sports Female" shirts during a trophy ceremony. The following Monday, a group from Tumwater staged a demonstration, unfurling a massive banner that declared, "This is not a walkout - we are not going anywhere!" Protesting girls held signs, sporting messages like, "Make women's sports female again" and "Protect female sports."
Despite the vehement disapproval, Garcia remained resilient. "I kind of expected it," she told the Seattle Times after her win. The boos, instead of discouraging her, ignited a flame of determination. "It made me angry, but not in the way I wanted to give up," she explained. "But angry as in, I'm going to push."
Garcia's statements echo the sentiments of those who oppose her win in sports designated for women. The boos unveiled a segment of the crowd that holds firm to the belief that an individual who was assigned male at birth should not compete in girls' athletics - even after transitioning and identifying as female. Some critics argue that such policies jeopardize the fairness in female-exclusive sports.
Regardless of the controversy, the Washington state high school athletic association permits transgender students to compete in accordance with their identified gender, including Garcia. The booing and protests revolve around the validity of this policy rather than its competitor personally.
Garcia, pivoting from her sports victory, expressed her determination by stating, "I'm going to push," fueled by the boos she received for being a transgender athlete in a girls' sports event. The dissenters, continuing to articulate their concerns, displayed signs saying, "Make women's sports female again" and "Protect female sports," emphasizing their belief that biologically male athletes should not compete in these events, even after transitioning.
