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Lost in the debate of whether transgender athletes should compete in middle and high school girls sports is that everyone involved is a child.
Sports participation is one of many issues being fought in the United States court system pertaining to transgender people and their place in life, and many Republican-controlled states have placed restrictions on whether transgender women and girls can compete in girls sports competitions.
West Virginia is one of those states, but on Tuesday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the state’s law cannot be applied to a 13-year-old Bridgeport Middle School student who competes in cross country and track and field.
The ruling doesn’t repeal West Virginia’s law, rather it just applies to that one particular student, who began taking puberty-blocking medication and estrogen hormone therapy in the third grade before hitting puberty.
The Bridgeport Middle student has also been granted a birth certificate listing her as female by the state of West Virginia.
Whether you agree or disagree with the court’s ruling, and no matter how people feel about gender-affirming health care being applied to minors, the fact remains that this student is legally allowed to participate in girls sports.
Because of the recent ruling, the student was able to compete in shot put and discus in the 2024 Harrison County Middle School Championships on Thursday at Liberty High School in Clarksburg.
Five members of the girls shot put team from Lincoln Middle School protested her inclusion by stepping out of the throwing circle intentionally to default. They did the same in the discus.
It is unclear whether the athletes came to the decision on their own or at the directive of an adult.
Seeing as the procession continued unhindered without being stopped by Lincoln coaches spanning multiple events, it was at the very least allowed by adults, who are supposed to be the voice of reason when overseeing children.
The move is being lauded by conservative media outlets like OutKick and in online social media circles for its bravery, while in actuality, it’s nothing more than bullying.
Because there was no immediate legal way to keep the athlete from competing, Lincoln resorted to trying to drive the student away by making them feel unwelcome.
Again, the athlete in question is 13 years old.
Maybe they’ll quit the team, maybe they’ll drop out of school, or maybe they’ll take their own life.
Data indicate that 82% of transgender individuals have considered killing themselves and 40% have attempted suicide, with the risk of suicide highest among transgender youth, according to a 2020 study published by the National Institutes of Health.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 14, and the third-leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022).
We’re talking about a middle school track and field competition here.
Not a professional transgender athlete taking opportunities away — something that has still never happened — or one using collegiate scholarship money, which is more common but still rare.
At the end of the day, the trans youth athletes in question are still people. They’re still children deserving of love and respect.
Coaches want to stand in front of a microphone and say that youth sports are about molding quality young men and women and not about wins and losses.
What lesson was Lincoln’s track coaches teaching?
That bullying works?
If you have a problem with that student’s inclusion on the basis of competitive balance and fairness, then continue to fight that battle in the courts, contact your local politicians, run for office, picket outside the courthouse or any number of other real solutions.
The most telling fact is that Lincoln Middle athletes placed first and third in the discus competition, so their coaches didn’t permit every one of their athletes to default, just the ones who didn’t have a chance at winning.
What a lesson. If you can’t get on the podium, just give up.
In a sport where setting a personal record is every bit as gratifying as winning for the non-elite athletes who aren’t good enough to place, adults robbed eighth-graders of that opportunity just to score political points.
I always thought youth sports were about developing skills and gaining socially from a team environment, but once again I’m mistaken.
The situation has become a talking point in the state’s governor’s race. In an ad put out Wednesday for businessman Chris Miller, a woman is quoted saying: “The trans shouldn’t get more rights than what our kids have.”
No matter where you stand on the issue of trans student-athletes competing in girls sports, remember this fact: They are still our children.
They all are.
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