Questions Rage Over Connecticut Boy Competing in High School Sports as a Girl

Andraya Yearwood has become a girl’s team track star for Cromwell High School in New Britain, Connecticut. It is no surprise, since the runner is a tall, strong, powerful biological boy who is posing as a girl despite not yet making any move to transition as a girl.

The mustachioed Yearwood, who competed as a boy in middle school, now claims to be a transgender girl and has been allowed to join the girl’s track team despite his imposing size and muscle mass that far exceeds that of his teammates and—more importantly—all his opponents on other school teams.

School officials, parents, and girls on opposing teams have bent themselves into pretzels to appear “accepting” and “tolerant” of Yearwood’s gender proclamations. But, even as everyone walks on eggshells to grapple with the situation, Yearwood is racking up a record of wins in girl’s track, easily blowing away all competitors.

Yearwood seems both arrogant and defiant celebrating the wins as if they are deserved and even expected.

“It feels really good. I’m really happy to win both titles,” Yearwood recently bragged to the media after winning the Class M contest. “I kind of expected it. I’ve always gotten first, so I expected it to some extent. … I’m really proud of it.”

Yearwood’s lopsided wins have at last caused many to wonder if the teenager’s overpowering male physical capabilities makes competing against girls unfair.

These easy wins against biological girls have raised questions in New Britain. There is no better voice to these worries than Hartford Courant columnist Jeff Jacob who raised the questions in a June 1 column, saying that “on a biologically competitive basis,” Yearwood’s victories are not fair to the competitors.

Ultimately, Jacobs felt that the results of the competitions are tainted.

“Humanity counts. So does biology,” Jacobs wrote. But, he went on saying, “For me, somebody who has observed sports and written about all kinds of athletes for four decades, the integrity of the state competition for these two races Tuesday was compromised.”

Now, another voice has been added to Jacobs’ as USA Today columnist Cam Smith raised Jacob’s points and added that he also sees how murky this situation really is.

Like others, Smith bent over backward to appear “accepting” of the teen’s gender choices, but he echoed Jacobs in wondering if it was fair to have a physically stronger boy competing against weaker and slower girls.

Without specifically coming down on any side of the issue, Smith nonetheless pointed out that the situation in Connecticut raises some vexing questions:

We can’t encourage you enough to read Jacobs’ entire piece, and to think about it’s larger implications. The state of Connecticut is clearly stuck in a delicate tap dance, and perhaps the most significant takeaway is how well everyone seems to be putting an awkward and potentially explosive situation into broader perspective.

Of course, the situation is only “delicate” if you think honoring Yearwood’s desire to be a girl is more important than fair treatment for the literally hundreds of girls in the school’s competition district who are denied any fair chance of winning a track meet in which Yearwood competes.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.