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Brave middle school girls BANNED for refusing to compete against biological male, parents lawyer up

April 30, 2024 | | Print Article

Conventional thinking has suggested that the answer to biological males competing — and frequently dominating — in women’s sports is for female athletes to refuse to play along.

In the state of West Virginia, that strategy resulted in five middle school girls being banned from all future shot put competitions, much to the outrage of some. The story comes on the heels of the Biden administration, which made what Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called “unlawful” Title IX changes that declare sex equates to gender identity.

“Becky Pepper-Jackson, 13, competed in the Harris County Middle School Track and Field Championship on April 18, two days after a federal appeals court ruled West Virginia’s transgender sports ban violates the teen’s right under Title IX. Five girls from Lincoln Middle School stepped up to the circle for their turn, then refused to throw the ball,” the Daily Mail reported.

Pepper-Jackson, a biological male, took home first place in the shot put competition with a 32-foot effort, which was three feet further than the competition, according to the British tabloid.

The parents of four out of the five students have filed a lawsuit, according to a press release from Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s office.

Morrisey filed an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit filed on behalf of the students, according to WBOY. The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief and claims that none of the students have “received any formal notification of their discipline, of any rule violation, or of their rights to appeal the school’s decision” despite being barred from competing.

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“The only thing this decision does is teach these children to keep their mouths shut and not disagree with what they saw as unfairness,” Morrisey said in a release. “That is outrageous and it tramples these students’ rights to freedom of speech and expression.”

The attorney general responded Monday to a post from Riley Gaines: “I will do everything in my power to defend these brave young girls. This is just wrong. We must stand for what’s right and oppose these radical trans policies.”

Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer who had to compete against biological male Lia Thomas, said in a tweet: “These girls stood up for what they believed and their coach barred them from competing. Insane. It’s dangerous to teach young girls to ignore the threats their eyes and ears are warning them of. How do some call this ‘progress’?”

Gaines shared the video seen above in an earlier post, writing: “It’s a sad day when 13-14yr old girls have to be the adults in the room, but I couldn’t be more inspired by and proud of these girls. Enough is enough. The tide is turning!”

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“Biden is abusing his constitutional authority to push an ideological agenda that harms women and girls and conflicts with the truth. We will not comply, and we will fight back against Biden’s harmful agenda,” Gov. DeSantis announced on Tuesday.

Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story from social media users who wonder why it’s being left to 13-year-old girls to take a stand for women’s sports:

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Tom Tillison
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