Trans high school student Aayden Gallagher sparked anger on the Internet this weekend when a video of the 10th grader competing in an Oregon girls’ track and field event made the rounds.
The issue of transgender female athletes competing against their biologically female counterparts continues to fuel one of the nation’s most vocal culture wars.
Former NCAA swimming champion Riley Gaines, who is perhaps the most well-known example of a female athlete who was stripped of an award because a biologically male swimmer was given preference in her sport academic, was quick to blame the “adults” at Oregon. track event for allowing Gallagher to compete.
“Let’s call it what it is,” she wrote on X. “Encouraged AND celebrated cheating by the “adults” in the room.
“So many fingers to point, but shame on the parents, the schools, the boys, our weak administration” and the Oregon School Activities Association.
The widely publicized video shows McDaniel High School sophomore Aayden Gallagher speeding past a group of biologically female athletes to cross the finish line well ahead of the rest of the field.
Gallagher competed in several other events throughout the day, consistently finishing in high positions at the Sherwood Need for Speed Classic in Sherwood, Oregon.
A trans high school sophomore met fury online after claiming victory seconds before most of her other competitors.
Video of the race attracted criticism from many female athletes, including Amelia Strickler (pictured), British shot put champion, who said: “Biology must rule.”
April Hutchinson (pictured), a Team Canada weightlifter, called the teen a “liar” and “a prime example of a male cheater.”
The video of the track meet was originally published by Reduxx, a feminist magazine, which called Gallagher a “boy who identifies” as a girl.
The clip quickly racked up millions of views.
Gallagher revealed in an interview with her high school newspaper last year that she would be undergoing hormone replacement therapy.
“I feel like it will make me a lot more confident,” said the student, then a high school freshman.
“Because right now, I’m going to continue to become more and more masculine. No more facial hair, stuff like that. And I don’t want that. Estrogen and other hormones plus vocal training would make me much happier and more confident.
It is unclear whether Gallagher has started a hormone replacement regimen.
Speaking to an interviewer after the race, the student said she “wasn’t really in front of a lot of people at the start of the race”, adding: “I like not to go out very hard.”
She was eventually beaten by another runner as the competitors entered the final hundred meters.
“We were both trying to come first. And she’s been doing it for a long time, it’s my first year,” said the sophomore. “Really proud of her, she did really well. I hope to see her in other athletics competitions.
The high school student quickly became the target of criticism on social media, as accounts with tens of thousands of followers posted video of her crossing the finish line.
“This is sick and disgusting and I want to know why his parents allow him to make fun of female athletes, why his coach allows him to cheat and why these girls’ coaches and parents aren’t speaking out,” Meghan Murphy wrote. a Canadian author and podcaster.
“Defending boys in women’s sports is blatant misogyny,” wrote the Independent Council for Women’s Sports (ICONS).
The founder of OutKick, where Gaines hosts podcasts, Clay Travis wrote: “another proud moment for “women’s” sports!
Female athletes also joined the conversation.
“At some point we all have to be willing to see things as they are. Please stop pretending this is anything other than telling young female athletes they don’t matter,” wrote Carilyn Johnson, a two-time U.S. team member.
Team Canada weightlifter April Hutchinson called the student “a perfect example of a male cheater.”
“He beats women, then lingers, waiting for praise, and constantly seeking validation. You are a liar to yourself and everyone in this establishment. Shame on everyone who facilitated it,” she wrote.
Amelia Strickler, shot put champion who twice won the British national title, said: “Biology must rule.”
The Oregon School Activities Association’s policy regarding the participation of trans athletes in school sports states:
“OSAA strives to enable students to participate in an athletic or activity program consistent with their consistently affirmed gender identity, while providing a fair and safe environment for all students. »
The rule aims to “promote harmony and aerial competition among member schools by maintaining equality of eligibility and to increase the number of students who will have the opportunity to participate in interscholastic activities.”
The policy also states that once a transgender student informs the school of their new identity, the student “shall be consistently treated as that gender for purposes of eligibility for sports and activities, provided that if they has tried or participated in an activity, the student cannot participate during that same season in a team of the other sex.
Carilyn Johnson, a two-time member of the U.S. team, said the teenager’s impressive statistics – finishing second in the 200-meter and 400-meter heats – showed that “young female athletes don’t have importance”.
Trans participation in sport has long been a controversial topic. A Massachusetts high school basketball player has been criticized for knocking another player to the ground.
The student, described as “over 6 feet tall” with “facial hair,” allegedly injured three players on the opposing team, including the young girl seen in footage of the match.
Twenty-four US states ban transgender students from participating in sports corresponding to their gender identity, including Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law in 2021.
The participation of trans athletes in school sports is an ongoing controversy that has safety implications for young athletes.
In February 2023, a Massachusetts high school basketball player – described as “over 6 feet tall” with “facial hair” – knocked a player from the opposing team to the ground.
Video of the incident, which left the other student writhing in pain, quickly spread online.
Three students from the opposing team at Collegiate Charter School in Lowell were also injured during the game, according to school officials.
The team ultimately opted to forfeit when other players expressed fear of injury and not being able to participate in the upcoming playoffs.
Under Massachusetts state law, a player cannot be removed from a team based on their gender identity. However, 24 other states have banned transgender students from participating in sports that match their gender identity.
That includes Florida, where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2021 legislation bans transgender women from playing on public school teams intended for athletes born female.
“In Florida, girls are going to play girls’ sports and boys are going to play boys’ sports,” DeSantis said as he signed the bill. “We’re going to make sure that’s reality.”
The state implemented this decision. In 2023, Monarch High School was fined $16,500 after the Florida High School Athletic Association discovered a transgender student played on a girls’ volleyball team.
dailymail us
