California Girls’ Track Stars Urged to Protest Trans Inclusion at State Championship

This weekend, Clovis, California, hosts the state high school girls' track and field championship, a stage set not just for athletic prowess but for a heated cultural debate. A transgender athlete’s participation in multiple girls’ events has sparked protests, with spectators and activists ready to make their voices heard. The question looms: will the athletes themselves take a stand?

Former women’s athletes, scarred by their own encounters with trans inclusion, are rallying behind the competitors. Paula Scanlan, a former UPenn swimmer who shared a locker room with Lia Thomas, didn’t mince words, blasting California Governor Gavin Newsom for letting this issue fester. "Newsom’s so out of touch, he’s practically running a sprint in flip-flops," she quipped to WTFNewsRoom. She urged the girls to stand firm, noting, "The Trump administration’s got their back, and so do most Americans."

Madison Turner, who knelt in protest at a fencing match earlier this year, echoed the call. "The CIF’s policy is like letting a linebacker play in a ballet recital—it’s unfair and absurd," she said, praising La Canada High’s Katie McGuinness for speaking out after losing to a trans athlete on May 17. Turner added, "These girls are braver than most adults. They’re not just running races; they’re running toward justice."

Payton McNabb, who suffered a brain injury from a trans opponent in 2022, didn’t hold back either. "California’s officials are letting girls’ dreams get spiked into the ground," she told WTFNewsRoom, urging athletes to speak up or even walk away. "You don’t owe anyone your silence. This isn’t progress—it’s a step back to the Stone Age."

Chelsea Soule, a former Connecticut track star, knows the sting of losing opportunities to trans athletes. She lost college scouting chances in 2018 and later sued her state. While she wouldn’t push athletes to boycott, she suggested a bold move: "If a male athlete takes your podium spot, step up after they leave. Show the world what’s fair."

Some athletes are already acting. At a May 17 sectional final, Crean Lutheran’s Reese Hogan took the first-place podium after trans athlete AB Hernandez stepped off, a viral moment that lit up social media. Earlier, on May 10, girls wore "Protect Girls Sports" shirts and waved signs, though CIF officials forced some to remove them, raising free speech concerns. Ryan Bangert, a Title IX expert, warned, "CIF better tread lightly. Stifling these girls’ protests could violate the First Amendment, especially when they’re defending a failing ideology."

As Clovis braces for a weekend of sprints, jumps, and defiance, the real race might be for fairness itself.