A group of female runners stood in silence with their hands behind their backs in protest after a transgender teen athlete won the 400-meter dash at the Washington State Championship on Saturday.
Trans-identified male athlete Veronica Garcia won the Washington State girls’ 400-meter race by over a full second.
According to a video posted on X, Garcia had a massive lead throughout the race, posting a final time of 55.75 seconds, with the second-place finisher, Lauren Mathew, running at 56.75 seconds.
Former swimmer and women’s rights advocate Riley Gaines posted a video of the second-place finisher receiving thunderous applause but almost nothing when the trans athlete was announced.
“Watch the girls on the podium cheer for the rightful state champ vs when the boy is announced,” Gaines wrote.
“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. “
https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1794516670561882540?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1794516670561882540%7Ctwgr%5E7f87f2043123f2ab13fce5880b4965ddc8c7ad77%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthepostmillennial.com%2Ftrans-runner-wins-girls-400m-race-in-washington-state-championship
Garcia’s team captured the state championship title by eight points, with the trans runner winning, giving them ten points in the process.
A boy won the girls 400m at the state championship today, which gave his team the 2A girls team state championship. Girls deserve their own sports, trophies and spaces. pic.twitter.com/Q4YCUtxwZ0
— Beth Daranciang (@bethsd) May 26, 2024
The mother of a teen girl who competed at today's championship against Aayden Gallagher spoke to The Publica after the event.
— ThePublica (@ThePublicaNow) May 19, 2024
She said that @OSAASports has threatened to BAN students and parents who complain about trans-identified males competing against the girls. pic.twitter.com/GaD1k3rIv0
The Daily Mail reported: But had Garcia, who was born male, been running in the equivalent boy’s race, she wouldn’t have even managed 16th place – with the slowest boy finishing at 53.12 – more than 2.5 seconds clear of Garcia’s time.
As the host announced Matthew’s name, all the girls gathered on the stadium and clapping and cheering for her respectable second place finish.
Veronica Garcia came in first place with a time of 55.75. Had she been racing boys, she wouldn’t have even placed in the top 16
But as first place was awarded to Garcia there was virtual silence in the stadium.
Her fellow runners stood on the podium in complete silence with their hands behind their back.
In a clear sign of disapproval, there was a stunned silence in the crowd until someone could be heard calling out Veronica’s name, to which she gave a thumbs up.
It’s the latest in a series of wins for Garcia who appears to be performing far better than when she competed on the boy’s team.
Last month she finished 13th in a field of 152 girls at the Washington State 2A Championships following a cross country meet.
But last year, Garcia could only manage 164th out of 172 in the boy’s 5000m at a regional championship held in the fall.
Public schools in Washington State specify that all students who participate in physical education and athletics are able to take part in the category that corresponds to their gender identity without the need to provide evidence of a medical transition.
READ: Trans Activist Stops Supporting Trans Rights after Being Beaten and Raped
