It is encouraging to see female athletes speaking out in protest against progressive efforts to push biological males into their sports. But this story is one of several showing that the fight against this campaign won’t be easy.
Earlier this month, five female athletes at a West Virginia middle school refused to compete against a male athlete experiencing gender dysphoria during a shot put event. As a result, they are now being punished for their actions.
This outcome is disheartening, but not unexpected. The pro-trans crowd has shown they will not back down easily and are more than willing to use whatever means necessary to punish those who dare to oppose them. However, this is not the end of this particular battle.
Five West Virginia middle school students who protested a trans athlete's participation in a shot put competition have been banned from future competitions.
Becky Pepper-Jackson, 13, competed in the Harris County Middle School Track and Field Championship on April 18, two days after a federal appeals court ruled West Virginia’s transgender sports ban violates the teen's right under Title IX.
Five girls from Lincoln Middle School stepped up to the circle for their turn, then refused to throw the ball.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has filed a lawsuit against the Harrison County Board of Education on the student's behalf after they were banned from future events.
'I will do everything in my power to defend these brave young girls. This is just wrong. We must stand for what’s right and oppose these radical trans policies,' Morrisey said on Monday.
My colleague Jennifer O’Connell initially wrote about the story, detailing the protest and the circumstances surrounding the girls’ actions.
The texts from the young female athletes expressed their fear, disappointment, outrage, and anger over this violation of their rights and safety. One athlete texted Gaines with this proposed call to action.
"So far I have gotten 4 or 8 throwers willing to step out Thursday. I know that 2 of them are not going to step out so I have to ask the other 2 when I see them. The plan is to just step in and step out. If we get kicked off the team or suspended or anything like that, I will let you know... that's where social media will come in to play!!!"
The young athlete held to her word. On Thursday, at a competitive meet with Pepper-Jackson present, five of the female athletes did just that. They stepped up and then stepped out in protest of their rights being violated on the altar of progressive ideology.
Bridgeport participated in the 2024 Harrison County Middle School Championships on Thursday afternoon at Liberty High School in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
Seven schools comprised the meet: Bridgeport, Heritage Christian, Notre Dame, South Harrison, Lincoln, Mountaineer (Clarksburg) and Washington Irving.
Several members of one of the girls' shot put teams "stepped in" then "stepped out" to protest the inclusion of a transgender athlete in the meet. The transgender athlete competes in both shot put and discus throwing.
When each of the Lincoln girls had her name called to compete, she stepped into the ring but instead of throwing the shot, she stepped down and refused to participate. They did the same for the discus event.
🚨🚨FIVE middle school female athletes in West Virginia refuse to throw shot put against male, Becky Pepper-Jackson.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 19, 2024
This comes just 2 days after the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the WV law that says you must compete in the category that matches your sex.
It's a… pic.twitter.com/RzMgh4jVRU
Predictably, Pepper-Jackson won the event, which he would have done so even if the girls had competed – because he’s a dude. He had been trying to compete in girls' sports after West Virginia banned transgender athletes from competing in sports involving the opposite sex. However, the legislation has been struck down as attorneys duke it out in court.
Unfortunately, these developments are going to happen as sane Americans continue fighting against gender ideology in our nation’s institutions. However, the fact that more people are willing to join the battle causes me to take a more bullish attitude toward the debate.
There will certainly be setbacks. But eventually, when the rest of sane America wakes up to what is going on, those trying to force us to pretend men and women are the same will be defeated.
