A group of female runners stood in silent protest with their hands behind their backs after a transgender athlete won the 400-meter dash at the Washington State Championship on Saturday. This display of dissent highlights the growing frustration among female athletes and their supporters regarding the inclusion of biological males in women’s sports.
Trans-identified male athlete Veronica Garcia won the girls’ 400-meter race with a significant lead, finishing at 55.75 seconds. The second-place finisher, Lauren Mathew, completed the race in 56.75 seconds, over a full second behind Garcia. A video posted on social media by former swimmer and women’s rights advocate Riley Gaines showed that Mathew received enthusiastic applause, while Garcia’s announcement was met with near silence.
“Watch the girls on the podium cheer for the rightful state champ vs when the boy is announced,” Gaines commented. “Stop saying girls are okay with this. They’re CLEARLY not, but the risks & threats they face for even daring to oppose this are real. My heart breaks for them.”
Garcia’s victory contributed to her team’s state championship win by eight points, earning ten points for her team. However, had Garcia competed in the boys’ equivalent race, she wouldn’t have placed in the top 16, as the slowest boy finished at 53.12 seconds, more than 2.5 seconds faster than Garcia.
As the host announced Mathew’s name, the girls in the stadium clapped and cheered for her respectable second-place finish. However, when Garcia was awarded first place, the crowd responded with a stunned silence, save for one voice calling out Garcia’s name, to which she responded with a thumbs up.
This incident is the latest in a series of controversial wins for Garcia, who has performed significantly better competing against girls than she did against boys. Last month, Garcia finished 13th out of 152 girls in the Washington State 2A Championships following a cross country meet, a stark contrast to her 164th place finish out of 172 in the boys’ 5000m race at a regional championship last year.
Public schools in Washington State allow students to participate in the athletic category that aligns with their gender identity without requiring evidence of a medical transition. This policy continues to spark debate and concern among those who believe it undermines fair competition and the integrity of women’s sports.