A group of middle school girls in West Virginia is taking a stand against the competition between biological girls and transgender students. The tour called “Our Bodies, Our Sports ‘Take Back Title IX’” made a stop in Charleston on Wednesday night. Sabrina Shriver, a member of Lincoln Middle School’s Track and Field Team, spoke out against transgender student Becky Pepper-Jackson being allowed to compete in a local track meet.
According to court documents, Pepper-Jackson was born male but identified as a girl from a young age. By third grade, she was living as a girl and had been undergoing puberty-delaying treatment for almost a year when West Virginia passed a bill affecting transgender athletes. The new legislation placed restrictions on transgender athletes’ participation in sports teams.
Shriver and her teammates expressed concerns that Pepper-Jackson had an advantage over them due to being biologically male. They felt it was unfair for someone assigned male at birth to compete in the same category as females. The athletes staged a protest in April to draw attention to the issue.
In response to President Joe Biden’s proposed new Title IX regulations, women and girl coaches and athletes fear that their equal athletic opportunities, privacy, and safety may be at risk. Shriver and her teammates hope that the rally in Charleston will raise awareness about the issue and the potential changes that may follow the new Title IX regulations taking effect on August 1st.
