Transgender high school athlete addresses hearing on banning trans girls from competing in sports – after destroying high jump rivals: ‘I didn’t join sports to be better than everyone else!’
A transgender high school athlete addressed a New Hampshire hearing on the state’s ban on trans girls’ participation.
A new bill in the state, known as SB 375, was discussed by lawmakers, LGBTQ groups and educators before the state Education Commission on Monday.
It is one of two bills in the state that would ban transgender girls from participating on sports teams that align with their gender identity.
Trans teen Maelle Jacques, who was born male and previously won the girls high jump state championship, insisted she would not enter the women’s sport to win outright.
The 16-year-old did this despite undercutting the competition in high jump tournaments, as critics insist that trans girls who have gone through male puberty retain significant biological advantages over biological women.
Jacques said during the hearing: βI’m here to testify against the opposition to SB375. All my life, sport has been an integral part of my existence.
Trans teen Maelle Jacques, who was born male and previously won the girls high jump state championship, said she didn’t enter the women’s sport to win outright
In February, she won the girls high jump at the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 state indoor track and field championships.
Her testimony continued: βI have been playing soccer since I was three, when I started my transition in sixth grade, my school welcomed me to the girls team.
‘Being part of the team allowed me to skip the social exclusion phase. The other girls accepted me for who I was.
‘Being part of the team allowed me to be seen as normal, while everywhere else I could be seen as a pariah.
‘I didn’t start playing sports with the aim of dominating the competition or being better than anyone else.
βNo one would go through the bullying and self-loathing of transition just to win a sport, especially women’s sports, which are undervalued in our country.
‘I joined because it is something I am passionate about and enjoy. If I were excluded from sports teams and locker rooms, participating in male teams would not be a choice for me.β
In February, she won the girls high jump at the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 state indoor track and field championships.
She finished in first place with a height of 1.80 meters – an inch better than all her female competitors, but well below the lowest high jump in the boys division, which was 1.80 meters.
According to the Track & Field Results Reporting System, Jacques has competed in seven events this year and achieved six first-place finishes in the high jump
After Monday’s testimony, the Education Committee voted 19-1 against the bill and “politely set it aside.” The New Hampshire Senate can be seen here
According to the Reporting system for track & field resultsJacques has participated in seven competitions this year and achieved six first places in the high jump.
Jacques is currently a freshman at Kearsarge Regional High School in Sutton, New Hampshire, and plays for the girls soccer team.
Former NCAA swimmer and high-profile advocate for the survival of women’s sports Riley Gaines had also previously posted about Jacques on X.
After the Independent Council on Women’s Sports shared the news that Jacques won the girls state championship in February, Gaines said, “How could this boy’s parents allow their son to rob deserving women of opportunities?”
βAnd why don’t the girls’ parents stand up and say ‘no’ to their daughters? This country is full of failing, cowardly mothers and fathers.’
Gaines bonded with trans athlete Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Championships and has been an outspoken critic of allowing biological males to compete against women.
Riley Gaines is sworn in during a hearing of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services on Capitol Hill on December 5, 2023 in Washington, D.C.
Gaines hit back after discovering Jacques was the best higher jumper in the division
Lia Thomas and Gaines react after finishing tied for 5th in the 200 freestyle final at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022
After Monday’s testimony, the Education Committee voted 19-1 against the bill and “politely set it aside,” according to The Portsmouth Herald.
However, a similar bill known as HB 1205 is still alive after being passed by the House of Representatives in March but has not yet been considered by the Senate.
SB 375 would apply at both the high school and college levels of education and would have banned transgender women from entering women’s locker rooms and bathrooms.
At the beginning of the month, SB 375 was passed, with all fourteen Republicans in the Senate voting in favor, while all ten Democrats voted against.
Tennis star Martina Navratilova, who is openly gay, had also reacted negatively to the news that Jacques had won the high jump.
She posted on
Tennis star Martina Navratilova, who is openly gay, also reacted negatively to the news that Jacques won the high jump
July 7, 1978, Wimbledon Ladies Tennis Final, Navratilova receives the trophy from the Duchess of Kent after her victory
βI’m not the one competing. Most women and girls don’t want male bodies to compete with them. And this boy just got long hair, no softening.
‘Keep male bodies out of women’s sports; they are free to compete in the men’s category.’
Critics say going through puberty as boys gives many trans women significant biological advantages that could make it impossible for women to defeat them.
There are also concerns that allowing trans women to play in contact sports such as football could potentially cause more serious injuries.
The issue has divided the US in recent years, as a majority of Americans oppose transgender athletes competing against women.