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Gender Bending State Track Finals Has Boy Running With Girls | The Federalist Papers http://www.thefederalistpapers.org/us/boy-wins-state-honors-in-girls-track-field-eventsIf you’re a boy and you say you feel like a girl – poof! – you’re a girl. And you compete with the girls.
Apparently, that’s what Nattaphon Wangyot did. And he made it all the way to the state finals.
The Haines senior advanced to the finals placing fifth in the 100-meter dash and third place in the 200-meter dash.
Wangyot is a boy. Biologically a male, but told the school he identifies as a female – so he competes against the girls.
For anyone remotely familiar with biology, this is a rather unfair advantage. Males are generally faster, stronger and better at most sports. It’s not sexist: It’s a fact.
The girls Wangyot competes against know that:
“I’m glad that this person is comfortable with who they are and they’re able to be happy in who they are, but I don’t think it’s competitively completely 100-percent fair,” Saskia Harrison told KTVA.
Another runner, Peyton Young, agreed: ““I don’t know what’s politically correct to say, but in my opinion your gender is what you’re born with,” she told the Alaska Dispatch News.
“It’s the DNA. Genetically a guy has more muscle mass than a girl, and if he’s racing against a girl, he may have an advantage.”
This matters because many of these girls are competing not just for the glory and honor of winning all-state, but because they’re competing for college scholarships. Some of these girls would never have a chance to further their education without doing well in these events – and having a biological male in there competing against them reduces their chances.
The conservative group Alaska Family Action (AFA) held a protest outside the state finals, saying forcing girls to compete against male athletes is patently unfair.
“We are here today as a voice from the community to ensure that female athletes are not denied the playing opportunities and scholarships otherwise available to them and to make the playing field even again,” he said.
Minnery argued that “Allowing students to play on teams of the opposite sex disproportionately impacts female students, who will lose spots on a track, soccer and volleyball teams to male students who identify as female.”
In Alaska, schools get to decide if a transgender athlete can compete in a sport as the gender they identify with. “We didn’t want to necessarily create a situation where we were going to bring in a committee and those types of things just because it’s just not practical here,” said Alaska Schools Activities Association Executive Director Billy Strickland during Friday’s meet.
Eventually, folks, we’re going to abandon gendered sports. Girls will compete alongside guys in all activities – that’s where we’re headed, isn’t it? And that doesn’t bode well for the athletic girls who just want a chance to succeed, maybe get some recognition, a scholarship and a chance to make something of their lives.
It won’t be easy when they have to compete against the boys.
The irony is that despite the biological advantage, Wangyot didn’t win. Not even close. She couldn’t do any better than third, losing out to state track star Tanner Ealum, who swept every event she was in.