Selina Soule spent years training in the hopes of securing a college scholarship and leaving behind a legacy at her high school by setting new records in track.
But those plans were temporarily put on hold one day at the Connecticut Indoor Track & Field State Championships in 2019 when she placed one spot away from qualifying for the finals and the subsequent opportunity to compete at the New England Regional Championships.
That meant missing a crucial opportunity to compete in front of recruiters and secure financial aid that would help alleviate the heavy burden of the cost of college for her family. Two competitors in that race went on to the New England regionals, with one of them setting a girls’ record for the 55-meter dash and later winning two titles. They now hold 15 state women championship titles and 17 school records.
Who are they? Biological men who identify as women.
Soule enlisted three other young women, all current or former students of high schools in upstate Connecticut, to sue the state’s Interscholastic Athletic Conference for sex discrimination, arguing the inclusion of transgender women denied them nearly 100 opportunities to compete in various athletic competitions during their time in high school.
“It was very frustrating and difficult knowing the outcome of the race before you even step on the line,” said Soule, who is now a Division 1 track athlete at the College of Charleston. “That’s not how it should be in sports. You hope to win, not already knowing the outcome before the meet even comes. It wasn’t only me who felt dispirited. Other girls felt the same.”
Interviews conducted by the Washington Examiner with several young female athletes found unanimous agreement that allowing biological men to compete with women could result in disastrous implications even after high school and college.
Read the rest at: washingtonexaminer.com
Comic by A.F. Branco
