A transgender athlete has been berated after coming second in a field of high school girls — even preventing one of them from securing a state championship.
Athena Ryan, who transitioned from male to female, ran on the boys’ team at Sonoma Academy until 2021, when she transitioned to the girls’ team.
The Junior stormed into second place in the varsity girls’ 1,600 meters final of the CIF-North Coast Section Meet of Champions which took place on Saturday.
In the aftermath of the race, Ryan boasted of her rapid progress, which shaved a huge amount of time off her best performances.
She jumped from sixth in her final 1,600-meter race to second in front of a field of high school students.
Ryan’s second-place finish (right) pushed Johnson (left) out of the race for the women’s state title
‘I did not expect that. I dropped about 17 seconds on the best of my season in the last two weeks,” Ryan told MileSplit after the race.
“After last weekend, I didn’t think I could run low 5s again. I just came here to break 5 – I’m just glad I finished it.’
But her second-place podium meant Adeline Johnson missed out on a place in the state finals.
Johnson, a girl, gave the cameras a thumbs down after securing fourth place after losing to the transgender athlete.
The Branson High School senior looked unimpressed when she lost her chance to compete in the state finals.
Several protesters were seen on the track with banners reading ‘protect women’s sports’ as Athena crossed the border – only one participant yelled at them before they left the grounds through security.
Ryan, who set a time of 4:55.91 in the race, seemed unbothered by the protests and celebrated on the podium as he received the second place medal.
The California Interscholastic Federation follows the Gender Identity Participation rules first introduced in 2013.
It means any transgender student can participate in athletics and activities that are “consistent with their gender identity.”
‘I did not expect that. I dropped about 17 seconds on the best of my season in the last two weeks,” Ryan told MileSplit after the race.
The video of Johnson’s apparent dismay at her loss was posted by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports and shared on social media
The guide adds, “Athletes will participate in programs that match their gender identity or most consistently expressed gender.”
Once a student is eligible to race as a gender identity, they do not need to be renewed each school year.
California lawmakers in April overturned a bill that would require schools to notify parents if their child is transgender.
The state became the first in the country to allow transgender children from across America access to hormones and puberty blockers, as well as treatments widely available throughout the Golden State.
The legislation also protects families from child abuse investigations or criminal charges for seeking gender-affirming care.
But World Athletics banned trans athletes from competing in women’s events at the international level in March, and the NCAA is in the process of introducing new rules allowing trans athletes to adhere to much stricter rules and undergo regular testing to ensure eligibility.
This led many social media users to call for female athletes to boycott events in which trans athletes take the field, with many pointing out that biological female athletes lose to the unfair benefits of scholarships and the chance to compete in major events. enjoyed by trans athletes competing against women.
Transgender runner Athena Ryan of California is shown in an interview by California MileSplit published November 19, 2022
Protesters were at the rally and made banners expressing their opposition to transgender people being allowed to participate in women’s events
A woman at the rally in Dublin, California objected to protesters holding signs that read ‘Protect Female Sports’
Adeline Johnson, who lost the chance to compete in the state finals with her fourth-place finish behind Ryan, was seen wave to people in the crowd before giving thumbs down at the medal ceremony in Dublin, California on Saturday.
The video of Johnson’s thumbs down was posted on social media by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports.
According to their Twitter bio, the group is a “network of female athletes and our supporters who advocate for women-protected categories in sports.”
aanother group dubbed ‘Women Are Real’ on social media also came to the meeting to voice their opposition.
The angry protesters held up a banner that read ‘Protect Female Sports’ and a video on the Twitter account Women Are Real showed an altercation involving a spectator with the banner.
“That’s f**kng disgusting,” the woman said. “I find that damn offensive.”
Another video shows security removing the group from the premises.
“They’re kicking us out because we care about women and girls,” one protester declared.
In April, House Republicans passed a ban on transgender women and girls from participating in female-school athletics.
No Democrats joined their conservative counterparts in voting for the bill, which will not pass the Senate.
Republicans say it’s about protecting women’s rights, while Democrats say it opens a new salvo to attack trans kids who are already being bullied in school.
“Anyone who claims to be a feminist or believes in what feminism is based on should probably get behind us,” said Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, at a press conference at the time.
Those on the other side of the aisle vehemently disagreed with the Republicans.
“These kids are kids and should be able to play with their friends. This isn’t about protecting women and girls, it’s about attacking trans kids,” said Wisconsin Democratic Representative Mark Pocan.