A track and field athlete suing the state of Connecticut for allowing her to compete against trans athletes in high school says two transgender athletes should never have competed in a California championship game.
Athena Ryan and Lorelei Barrett, two trans athletes who were both born male, qualified for the California Women’s High School State Championships but failed to show up for the race amid ongoing debate over their participation and fears of their own well-being.
Chelsea Mitchell, who was once called “the fastest girl in Connecticut,” slammed the state of California’s decision to allow them to compete with native women.
The former high school racer said it was a disadvantage to the other athletes, as they had an “unfair” biological advantage over their female competitors.
Mitchell herself plans to appeal against the state of Connecticut after suing them for allowing trans athletes to compete in competitive school sports against others of their identified gender.
Chelsea Mitchell denounced the decision of the state of California to allow them to compete with native women
Lorelei Barrett is seen leading the girls’ field before eventually finishing third and taking the final state championship qualifying spot
“None of us asked for this policy. It shouldn’t be for us athletes to make this policy,” Mitchell told Fox News.
“Ultimately, it’s unfair that these biological males end up in the category of females and . . [that’s] why our institutions need to step up and implement policies that protect the female category.’
Former college swimmer Riley Gaines also lashed out in California, allowing trans runners to compete in women’s sports.
After both Ryan and Barrett failed to show up for the preliminaries, Gaines took to Twitter to say they “clearly have an unfair advantage.”
California is one of several states that allows high school athletes to compete in sports based on their gender identity without regulation.
The California Interscholastic Federation’s Gender Identity Participation Policy notes that students can compete “consistent with their gender identity.”
Protests then erupted at last week’s event, where protesters expressed outrage at the inclusion of transgender athletes in girls’ sports.
Last Saturday, the Twitter account of one of the protesters, Women Are Real, showed they were being chased away by an official for the California Interscholastic Federation State Track & Field Championships.
Ryan, a junior at Sonoma Academy, qualified for the California women’s high school state championships, but failed to show up for the race
Lorelei Barrett failed to show up for the race amid ongoing debate over their participation and fears for their own well-being
Riley Gaines calls on female athletes to boycott all events that include transgender competitors after a runner lost a state championship
They held up large banners with slogans like “PROTECT FEMALE SPORTS,” “SPEAK UP 4 GIRLS,” and one promoting their website.
The unknown official is seen addressing them from the stands and saying, ‘we are going to stop the whole meeting. We stop the whole game’ and tells them to go ‘outside the stadium’.
He then asks them to “put it away,” referring to the person filming. The Women Are Real account claims their banners were subsequently confiscated.
The CIF condemned those protesting for what they called “harassing behavior,” which they claimed led to Ryan and another transgender athlete — Sherman Oaks Buckley’s Lorelei Barrett — not showing up.
“The CIF is disappointed for two of our student-athletes and their families, as due to the actions of others, they felt it necessary to withdraw from the State Track and Field Championships out of concern for the student’s well-being,” they said. the LA Times.
“The CIF strongly condemns any discriminatory or harassing behavior that affects our student-athletes’ chances to participate in interscholastic competitions.”
The Women Are Real Twitter account showed them being chased away Saturday by a California Interscholastic Federation State Track & Field Championships official
California athletics officials evicted protesters outraged by the inclusion of transgender athletes in girls’ sports at a high school event where multiple trans runners were supposed to participate, but who subsequently failed to show up
In 2020, Mitchell, along with two other runners, filed a lawsuit to block a state policy that allowed high school athletes to compete based on the gender they identify with, arguing that transgender girls have an unfair physical advantage .
The case was subsequently dismissed by a Connecticut federal judge in April 2021, but they have since appealed the decision.
The first lawsuit involved two trans sprinters, Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood, who often outperformed their female competitors.
The two seniors have won a combined 15 girls’ national indoor or outdoor championships since 2017, the 2020 lawsuit alleged.
Mitchell is about to go back to court to appeal the ruling that allowed trans students to participate in competitive sports for their identified gender.