'We've Been Emotionally Blackmailed,' VA Students Tell Sports League
Virginia students—at both the high school and college levels—bravely challenged the Virginia High School League (VHSL) to repeal a policy that currently allows boys to compete on a girls' sports team. VHSL is the organization that sets standards for interscholastic competition and eligibility for public high school sports programs in the Commonwealth. At issue was a proposal to repeal current language in the VHSL handbook dealing with transgender issues and instead make it clear that if "a school maintains separate teams in the same sport for boys and girls during the school year, student-athlete participation shall be determined by biological sex and not gender or gender identity.” The proposal was submitted by an executive committee member.
On Wednesday, Sept. 20, several students and parents spoke to the VHSL on behalf of the proposed change during its meeting in Charlottesville. A high school student, Constance, told the League:
“I ran in a cross country meet on Saturday, and took note that the fastest female runner, who was far ahead of me and all the other girls, would have been running on par with the slowest group of boys if she had been forced to compete with them. It is not fair to force us to compete with biological males. It takes away girls’ chances to shine and display their skills on a level playing field. It takes away our opportunities to compete for scholarships. I’m asking you to repeal the current policy because it isn’t fair, and what is the purpose of this organization if it doesn’t provide a level playing field for female athletes? She also shared safety concerns, citing data showing that girls have more risk of serious physical injuries when competing against boys.
Two of the current swim team captains at Roanoke College, Lily and Bailey, also shared their perspective as female students in competitive sports. Though unable to speak in person because of an exam, a member of Family Foundation's Speak Up! Charlottesville team read their statement. It said:
We have been put in an increasingly common, compromising position as female student-athletes. We have been forced by the NCAA and Roanoke College to accommodate the preferences of one male swimmer who previously swam on our men’s team and now prefers to compete on our women’s swim team. The rule-makers have allowed my team to be manipulated, blind-sided, and pressured into silently accepting unfair treatment and unfair competition as we head into our competitive season. We have been emotionally blackmailed and asked to carry the responsibility of one male athlete’s mental health and well-being at the expense of our own. This has been too great a burden to bear for many of our teammates who have lost hours of sleep, many tears and the will to train to race against a swimmer who has an advantage in the water our bodies can never possess. Many of us have all but shut down from fear and anxiety under the weight of the load we have been forced to carry exclusively as women.
Lily and Bailey concluded their statement with a challenge:
"We feel we MUST urgently fight the injustice against Virginia’s women and girls now. Some today will disrespect girl’s sports and say girls are undeserving of fair competition until they reach elite status or high level competition. But how many of us would have quit and walked away before we ever made it to our college team if the integrity of our competitions were ripped away from us as little girls? Instead of first prioritizing the feelings of boys in the girls' sports category today, ask first, “What about the girls?” [Bold Emphasis Added]
"I'm so proud of these young women," said Victoria Cobb, Family Foundation's president. "They are doing what too many adults have failed to do: Speak truth into the confusion. We can no longer deny the biological facts--that men have higher cardiovascular capacity, greater bone density, and more muscle mass. And that means that most men are bigger, stronger, and faster than females. The logical result is that when men are allowed to compete in female sports, the biological females, our girls, will almost never have a fair chance to win."
WHAT YOU CAN DO
A vote is still pending on the proposed VHSL policy change. Do you know young women who have had their safety and ability to compete and win scholarships unfairly jeopardized by sexual agendas? Help them share their story. True stories are a powerful way to cut through deception. Send stories and contact information to: vafamily@familyfoundation.org
