Transgender sprinters have once again taken top spots in high school indoor track championships, reports say.
Bloomfield High School’s Terry Miller and Cromwell High School runner Andraya Yearwood, biological males who claim to be transgender girls, have once again come away with the top awards for high school sprinters in the Nutmeg State, the Washington Times reported.
Miller and Yearwood took first and second place in the 55-meter dash at the state open indoor track championships. Miller also set a girl’s state indoor record of 6.95 seconds in the event. Taking second, Yearwood ran at 7.01 seconds. The numbers are significant considering that the third-place winner — who is a biological female — only finished at 7.23 seconds.
This is the second year in a row where Miller and Yearwood took the top spots away from biologically female contestants in the state championships. Yearwood won the 100-meter state championships last year, and Miller tool the 300.
Critics point out that the two keep winning because they are biological males with more physical power. But the state’s Interscholastic Athletic Conference claims it allows them to compete as females because they are required to follow a state anti-discrimination law.
“I have learned a lot about myself and about other people through this transition. I always try to focus most on all of the positive encouragement that I have received from family, friends and supporters,” Yearwood recently told the AP. “I use the negativity to fuel myself to run faster.”
Still, Yearwood admitted that even though he is transitioning to a female, he is stronger than his natural-born female opponents.
“One high jumper could be taller and have longer legs than another, but the other could have perfect form, and then do better,” Yearwood said. “One sprinter could have parents who spend so much money on personal training for their child, which, in turn, would cause that child to run faster.”
Yearwood and Miller have faced stiff opposition to their participation in the state’s female sports.
High school runner Selina Soule has been a strong voice of opposition.
“We all know the outcome of the race before it even starts; it’s demoralizing,” she has said. “I fully support and am happy for these athletes for being true to themselves. They should have the right to express themselves in school, but athletics have always had extra rules to keep the competition fair.”
Families of these biological girls who oppose the state’s policy are not sitting idly by. The families of three of these runners filed a federal lawsuit this month seeking to block transgender girls from competing against biological girls.
The girls, Selina Soule, of Glastonbury High School, Alanna Smith, of Danbury High School, and Chelsea Mitchell, of Canton High School, all filed suit this month. Arguing that allowing athletes with male anatomy to compete against biological girls deprives girls of track titles and scholarship opportunities.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston.
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