Trans high school student Aayden Gallagher sparked a stir on the internet last weekend when a video of the 10th grader competing in a girls track and field event in Oregon made the rounds.
The issue of transgender female athletes competing against their biological female counterparts continues to fuel one of the loudest culture wars in the country.
Former NCAA swimming champion Riley Gaines, perhaps the most famous example of a female athlete stripped of an award because a biologically male swimmer was favored in her college sport, was quick to blame the “adults” in Oregon. track event for Gallagher to compete.
“Let’s call this what it is,” she wrote on X. “Encouraged AND celebrated with deception by the ‘adults’ in the room.
“So many fingers to point, but shame on the parents, the schools, the kid, our weak administration,” and the Oregon School Activity Association.
The video causing such a stir shows McDaniel High School sophomore Aayden Gallagher speeding past a group of biologically female athletes to cross the finish line well ahead of the rest of the pack.
Gallagher competed in several other events throughout the day, finishing in consistently high positions at the Sherwood Need for Speed Classic in Sherwood, Oregon.
A transgender high school sophomore has sparked online outrage after cruising to victory seconds ahead of most of her other competitors
The video of the race was criticized by many female athletes, including Amelia Strickler (pictured), a British shot put champion, who stated: ‘Biology should be the rule’
April Hutchinson (pictured), a powerlifter for Team Canada, branded the teen a “liar” and “a prime example of a male cheat”
The video of the track meet was originally posted by Reduxx, a feminist magazine, which featured Gallagher “a boy who ‘identifies’ as a girl.”
The clip quickly received millions of views.
Gallagher revealed in an interview with her high school newspaper last year that she will be on hormone replacement therapy.
“I feel like it will make me a lot more confident,” said the student, then a freshman in high school.
‘Because at the moment I’m becoming more and more masculine. More facial hair, that kind of thing. And I do not want that. Estrogen and other hormones and voice training would make me a lot happier and more confident.’
It is not clear whether Gallagher has started a hormone replacement regimen.
Speaking to an interviewer after the race, the student said she “wasn’t really in front of many people at the beginning of the race,” adding, “I like not going out super strong.”
She was eventually defeated by another runner as the competitors reached the final hundred meters.
‘We were both trying to come first. And she’s been doing it for a long time, this is my first year,” the sophomore said. ‘Really proud of her, she did great. I hope to see her at other track meets.”
The high school student quickly became the target of criticism on social media when accounts with tens of thousands of followers spread the video of her crossing the finish line.
“This is sick and disgusting and I want to know why his parents allow him to mock female athletes, why his coach allows him to cheat, and why the coaches and parents of these girls are not speaking out,” Meghan Murphy wrote. a Canadian author and podcaster.
“Supporting boys in girls’ sports is blatant misogyny,” wrote the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS).
The founder of OutKick, where Gaines hosts podcasts, Clay Travis wrote: “another proud moment for ‘women’s sports’!”
Female athletes also joined the conversation.
“At some point, we all have to be willing to see this for what it is. Please stop pretending that this is anything other than telling young female athletes that they don’t matter,” Carilyn Johnson, a two-time Team USA member, wrote.
April Hutchinson, a powerlifter for Team Canada, called the student “a prime example of male cheating.”
‘Beats women, then hangs around, waiting for congratulations, and constantly looking for validation. You are a liar to yourself and everyone in that facility. Shame on all the enablers,” she wrote.
Amelia Strickler, shot put champion who has twice won the British national title, claimed: ‘Biology should be the rule.’
The Oregon School Activity Association’s policy for the participation of trans athletes in school sports is as follows:
“The OSAA is committed to allowing students to participate in the athletics or activities program of their consistently asserted gender identity while providing a fair and safe environment for all students.”
The rule aims to “promote harmony and air competition among the member schools by maintaining equality of eligibility and increasing the number of students who have the opportunity to participate in interscholastic activities.”
The policy also states that once transgender students inform the school of their new identity, the student “shall be treated consistently as that gender for purposes of participation in athletics and activities, provided that if the student has attempted or participated in an activity the student may not participate in a team of the opposite sex that same season.’
Two-time Team USA member Carilyn Johnson said the teen’s impressive stats (finishing second in the 200-meter and 400-meter heats) show that ‘young female athletes don’t matter’
Trans participation in sports has long been a controversial topic. A high school basketball player in Massachusetts was criticized for knocking another player to the ground
The student, described as “over six feet tall” with “facial hair,” allegedly injured three players on the opposing team, including the girl seen in footage of the match
Twenty-four US states ban transgender students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity, including Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law in 2021
The participation of trans athletes in school sports is an ongoing controversy with implications for the safety of young athletes.
In February 2023, a high school basketball player in Massachusetts – described as “over 6 feet tall” with “facial hair” – threw an opposing player to the ground.
Video of the incident, which showed the other student writhing in pain, quickly spread online.
Three students from the opposing team from Collegiate Charter School of Lowell were also injured during the game, according to school officials.
The team ultimately chose to give up when other players expressed their fears of getting injured and not being able to compete in the upcoming playoffs.
Under Massachusetts state law, a player cannot be excluded from a team based on gender identity. However, 24 other states have banned transgender students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity.
This includes Florida, where Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ 2021 legislation bans transgender women from playing on public school teams designed for athletes born as girls.
“In Florida, girls will play girls’ sports and boys will play boys’ sports,” DeSantis said as he signed the bill. “We’re going to make sure that’s the reality.”
The state has implemented this ruling. In 2023, Monarch High School was fined $16,500 after the Florida High School Athletic Association discovered a transgender student played on a female volleyball team.