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(Scroll down for many stories) Male Transgender Athlete Wins Two State Girls’ Track Titles In Maine2-20-25Spencer's first-place finish in the pole vault earned Greely 10 points -- the difference-maker in a state championship meet the school won by one point; Greely got 72 points and the runner up, Freeport High, got 71, according to The Portland Press-Herald. Maine state Representative Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) first brought attention to Spencer's victory in a Facebook post that now has more than 47,000 reactions and 40,000 comments. Lawrence High School senior Zoe Hutchins, who took second place in the shot put event at the same meet (36 feet, 4.75 inches), expressed her disappointment with seeing a male athlete win two state titles. Here is what she said in a comment on Libby's post that now has over 900 reactions: "I just finished competing in the state meet and I had the unfortunate opportunity to watch him dominate in girls pole vault. My teammate had to compete directly with him and was understandably upset along with the other girls vaulting. This is a terrible injustice to each girl who has worked painstakingly hard for years to make it to the state meet. Those girls no longer had the chance to gain the ultimate honor of becoming a state champion and instead were competing for second while a guy with mediocre vaulting skill took the gold. I am thankful that I haven't had to face this in throwing yet but I fear it's only a matter of time. I get extremely angry at our culture for allowing this injustice and even more so when it directly affects my teammate and friend. As a female athlete I am not willing to remain quiet and will always fight for our right to have women's sports without men. I hope even those who aren't competing can see how deeply this affects female athletes and will join the fight to protect women's sports." The Maine Principals' Association lets student-athletes participate on teams based on their self-selected gender identity rather than their anatomical sex, according to the Gender Equity and Inclusion Policy in its 2022-23 handbook. The MPA is committed to maximizing the opportunities for all students to participate in interscholastic activities and athletics, regardless of their gender identity or expression, the policy says. At the same time, the MPA is committed to ensuring fair competition and adequate protection of student-athletes," it adds. "Consistent with its principles, the MPA believes that all students should have the opportunity to participate in MPA activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity unless such participation would result in an unfair athletic advantage or would present an unacceptable risk of injury to other student-athletes." Conservative news outlets like The Daily Caller, The Daily Wire and the Media Research Center have also reported on Spencer's victory, as have the Independent Council on Women's Sports and HeCheated.org, organizations that document instances of males in women's sports.Greely is a public high school in Cumberland, Maine; it serves about 600 students. Cumberland is a town of about 8,700 people, located about 10 miles north of Portland, Maine.The athletic director for Greely High School and a spokesman for the Maine Principals Association could not be reached for comment on Tuesday or Wednesday. Transgender Girls' Basketball Player Has Outscored Entire Other Team Several Times2-17-25Hanlon is averaging a team-high 20.1 points per game for a team where the next-highest scorer is averaging fewer than six points per game, according to MaxPreps. There have been several games over the past two seasons where Hanlon outscored the entire other team.Here are those instances, according to MaxPreps: Hanlon also plays girls' volleyball and was the subject of controversy last year when a Christian school refused to play San Francisco Walforf because it has a male on the team. "We will always stand for Biblical truth and what is right," Julie Fagundes, campus administrator and academic dean at Stone Ridge Christian School, told KSEE in November 2024. "Girls must compete against girls for fairness, safety, and truth." The school further explained its stance in a publicly-posted statement. "We do not believe sex is changeable and we do not intend to participate in events that send a different message," the school wrote. "We also have a duty and responsibility to care for the health and safety of our athletes. So after consulting with our students, coaches, and staff, we have made the difficult decision to forfeit Saturday’s game." California Interscholastic Federation policy explicitly allows transgender-identifying males to compete in girls' sports. CIF By-Law 300 D. says: "Gender Identity Participation Participation in interscholastic athletics is a valuable part of the educational experience for all students. All students should have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on a student's records." Additionally, the California Interscholastic Federation plans to let male transgender-identifying athletes keep competing in women's sports, despite an executive order from President Donald Trump administration encouraging federal enforcement of Title IX against states that allow it. "The CIF provides students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete in education-based experiences in compliance with California law [Education Code section 221.5. (f)] which permits students to participate in school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, consistent with the student’s gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the student's records," a California Interscholastic Federation spokesman told Fox News. Title IX of the federal Education Amendments Act of 1972, a civil rights statute, says that “educational institutions receiving Federal funds cannot deny women an equal opportunity to participate in sports. Several right-of-center news outlets reported on Hanlon's transgender status last year, including: The Daily Caller, OutKick, The Daily Wire, and others. Maine Transgender Skier Takes Bronze At State Meet2-17-25Maine Coast Waldorf junior Soren Stark-Chessa finished third in the girls' freestyle (16:52.9) and girls' pursuit (36:20.9) events at the Maine Principals Association Class C state championship meet on Tuesday, February 18. In classical Nordic skiing, skiers move in parallel tracks with narrow skis and use a striding motion. In freestyle skiing, competitors use wider skis and a skating-like motion on ungroomed surfaces. Pursuit refers to a race that features both a classical and a freestyle race. Stark-Chessa also took third in these events at the Class C state championship meet last year, as NewBostonPost previously reported. Plus, Stark-Chessa won a girls' outdoor track and field state championship last spring. Stark-Chessa won the 800-meter (2:19.72) at the Maine Principals' Association Class C girls' outdoor track and field state championship on Saturday, June 1, as NewBostonPost previously reported. Waldorf School athletic director Susan Sonntag has defended Stark-Chessa's participation in girls' sports. "We support all our students at Maine Coast Waldorf School, and are proud that our students are given the opportunity to participate in all of our school programs," Sonntag told NewBostonPost in an email statement on October 25, 2023. "Additionally, MCWS adheres to the Maine Statute, Title 5, §4602 'Unlawful educational discrimination' which is further supported by Maine Principals' Association (MPA) policy." The Maine Principals' Association lets student-athletes participate on teams based on their self-selected gender identity, according to the Gender Equity and Inclusion Policy in its 2022-23 handbook. "The MPA is committed to maximizing the opportunities for all students to participate in interscholastic activities and athletics, regardless of their gender identity or expression,\" the policy reads. "At the same time, the MPA is committed to ensuring fair competition and adequate protection of student athletes," it continues. "Consistent with its principles, the MPA believes that all students should have the opportunity to participate in MPA activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, unless such participation would result in an unfair athletic advantage or would present an unacceptable risk of injury to other student athletes." Stark-Chessa's third-place finish at girls' Nordic skiing states comes as another transgender athlete in Maine won two state titles earlier this week. Greely High School junior Katie Spencer won a Maine Principals Association Class B girls' indoor track state title in the pole vault (10 feet, 6 inches) and a team state championship. Spencer's first-place finish in the pole vault got Greely 10 points. It was the difference-maker in a state championship meet the school won by one point. Greely got 72 points. The runner-up, Freeport High, as NewBostonPost previously reported.Maine could have at least two transgender-identifying athletes win state championships in girls' outdoor track this spring, as Stark-Chessa could be a repeat winner and Spencer could win another title with a similar performance.Maine Coast Waldorf is a small private school in Freeport, Maine. It serves 268 students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Freeport, Maine is a town of about 8,800 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It is about 17 miles northeast of Portland. Sonntag could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday. Boy Wins Two Massachusetts Girls' Gymnastics State Titles2-19-25Methuen High School senior Divier Ramos won vault (9.85) and floor (9.6) events at the Massachusetts High School Gymnastics Coaches Association girls' gymnastics State Individual Championship on Monday, February 17, at Tewksbury High School. Ramos also won these events at the State Individual Championship meet as a freshman in 2022, scoring a 9.7 on the vault and a 9.425 on the floor. Ramos is an elite men's artistic gymnast who has competed nationally, according to his USA Gymnastics bio. Ramos has received a perfect 10.0 score at various high school events, the highest possible score in gymnastics. It is nearly unheard of in high school gymnastics, according to The Eagle-Tribune. Methuen head coach Stacy Thibodeau told the newspaper in February 2024 that Ramos was the only gymnast she had ever seen get a 10.0 in any event in her 13 years of coaching high school gymnastics. Ramos is one of several boys to win the vault event at the individual state championship meet since 2018. The others are Daniel Barskiy of Winchester High School in 2018 and 2019, Kevin Theodoro of Framingham High School in 2020, and Andrew Znoj of Mansfield High in 2024, as NewBostonPost previously reported. Znoj, a senior, finished second (9.80) behind Ramos on the vault and floor (9.525) events this year. Additionally, Methuen High freshman Todd Herland, another boy, finished third (9.70) on the vault, indicating he may win the state title in the future -- possibly next year. Herland has previously competed for boys' club teams and won the vault event (9.8) at the Merrimack Valley Conference championship meet on February 8.Massachusetts is the only state in America that lets boys who identify as boys compete in girls' sports. It's because of a 1979 ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (in a case called Attorney General v. MIAA). In it, the court ruled that barring boys from competing in girls' sports violates the state's 1976 voter-ratified Equal Rights Amendment. Here is the text of the Equal Rights Amendment of the Massachusetts Constitution: All people are born free and equal and have certain natural, essential and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, possessing and protecting property; in fine, that of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness. Equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of sex, race, color, creed, or national origin. The state's Equal Rights Amendment passed at the ballot in the November 1976 general election; 60.4 percent supported it and 39.6 percent opposed it, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office. Every Massachusetts county voted in favor of the proposed amendment. Since that 1979 ruling, Massachusetts boys who identify as boys have competed in many girls' sports, including field hockey, girls' volleyball, girls' gymnastics, girls' swimming, and even girls' soccer. Boys have won state championships in field hockey (at Somerset Berkley in 2018, 2019 and 2024), in addition to girls' gymnastics. This past fall, Somerset Berkley sophomore Ryan Crook scored both of his girls' field hockey team's goals in the state championship game; Somerset Berkley won the game 2-1, as NewBostonPost previously reported. Male transgender-identifying athletes have won state titles in girls' track (2021) and girls' basketball (2023 and 2024). The Methuen High School athletic director could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Three Most Dominant Transgender Athletes In NCAA History2/12/25"The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes," Baker said in an NCAA-issued written statement. "We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today's student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump's order provides a clear, national standard.\"\"The updated policy combined with these resources follows through on the NCAA's constitutional commitment to deliver intercollegiate athletics competition and to protect, support, and enhance the mental and physical health of student-athletes," the Yankee Republican added. "This national standard brings much needed clarity as we modernize college sports for today's student-athletes." However, before the NCAA banned males from competing in women's sports, three made national headlines for their performances at national championship meets.Two won national championships and, if not for this new policy, another might have as well.Here is a look at each of them:. 1. Cece Telfer: As a senior at Franklin Pierce (private college in Rindge, New Hampshire) in May 2019, Telfer won an NCAA Division 2 national championship in the 400-meter hurdles (57.53 seconds) Telfer was the first student-athlete in Franklin Pierce history to win an individual national title in any sport, according to the school's web site. Telfer, who previously went by the first name Craig, competed for the men's track team at Franklin Pierce in 2016 and 2017 before making the switch. While Telfer was a contributor on the men's side, the athlete never ranked higher than 200th nationally in the 400-meter hurdles (in Division 2), according to The Washington Times. Telfer was the first-known transgender-identifying athlete to win an NCAA national championship. 2. Lia Thomas: Three years later, it happened again.University of Pennsylvania (a private, Ivy League school in Philadelphia) senior Lia Thomas won the NCAA Division 1 women's swimming national championship in the 500-yard freestyle event (4:33.24). Thomas, who previously went by the first name Will, competed for Penn's men's swim team during the 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons. Though Thomas was a solid contributor on the men's side, the swimmer never ranked higher than 65th nationally in the 500-meter freestyle event. Thomas was the first-known transgender-identifying athlete to win an NCAA Division 1 national championship. 3. Sadie Schreiner: The Trump administration's new policy seeking to prevent males from participating in female sports may have stopped Rochester Institute of Technology (private college in Rochester, New York) junior Sadie Schreiner from winning an NCAA national championship.As a sophomore last spring, the runner came in third at the NCAA Division 3 outdoor track national championship meet (24.12 seconds) in the 200-meter -- an indicator that the runner could have won the national title as a junior or senior.Schreiner, who previously went by the first name Camden, competed in boys' track and field in high school, before switching sides in college. At the three meets Schreiner had competed in this school year before this policy went into place, the runner had finished first at all of them. Back to "There's only H" page, "trans_sports" section |