A male athlete who thinks he’s a woman complained to reporters about the lack of “sportsmanship” he’s received from the girls he is competing against.
To recap, Townhall covered how Veronica Garcia, a 16-year-old male, competed in the girls’ 400-meter dash at the Washington State Championship last month. Garcia finished with a time of 55.75, a full second ahead of the runner-up, who is a biological female.
Multiple outlets noted that there was silence during the awards portion when Garcia was given first place.
Would you look at that...the thing that never happens happened again.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) May 25, 2024
🚨Veronica Garcia (Donovan Brown) just won the Washington State Championship in the girls' 400m in total domination.
In Washington & Oregon this past week, the fastest "girl" in the each state has been a boy. pic.twitter.com/jbAEhdyTDl
Garcia reportedly told The Spokesman-Review that he was “somewhat hurt” that the girls he competed against did not cheer him on.
"I guess maybe I expected sportsmanship because I was cheering the rest of them on when they were called. So I guess I expected to get that reciprocated," Garcia told the outlet. "But I didn’t get that.
“I’m just a teenager. I wish people would remember that,” Garcia added.
The Spokesman-Review explained that the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has had a policy allowing students to compete in the division of the gender they “most consistently expressed” for the past 18 years.
In addition, Washington is one of 16 states with policies that allow for “full participation of trans, nonbinary and other gender-diverse students in school athletics,” the outlet added (via The Spokesman-Review):
Unlike some states, Washington does not require transgender student athletes to undergo hormone replacement therapy or suppression of the hormones naturally produced by their bodies. Transgender athletes in Washington also are not required to disclose their medical information to play high school sports.
Garcia declined to disclose whether she has been prescribed hormone replacement therapy medicine or puberty blockers. Efforts this week to interview Garcia’s mother, Traci Brown, have not been successful. However, late last year Brown said she supports Garcia “100%.”
“I’m so proud of her,” she said at the time.
WIAA spokesperson Sean Bessette told the outlet that they’ve received many complaints about Garcia’s participation in girls’ sports.
“It just seems very unfair,” Beth Daranciang, a Republican running for a state House seat, told the outlet. “Sports are based on physical competition. It’s not based on identity. So that’s why we should keep sports based on the physical distinctions between males and females.”
“Parents of female athletes are tired of seeing their daughters denied the opportunity to compete on a level playing field. Some states require athletes to play in sports based on their biological sex, but not nearly enough have implemented these sensible measures and the Biden Administration’s recent changes to Title IX have only muddied the water. Elected officials across the country have a duty to protect girls and end this absurdity,” American Parents Coalition Executive Director Alleigh Marré told Townhall.