Parent of kids competing with trans runner 'terrified to speak up'
EXCLUSIVE: Parent of high school kid competing against trans runner claims they’re ‘terrified to speak up in case our kids get disqualified’ – as school DENIES teen girl made ‘thumbs down’ motion at competitor
- The Branson School says Adeline Johnson did not make the gesture in relation to trans runner Athena Ryan
- Ryan, a junior at at Sonoma Academy, came in second and bragged that it was one of her best races
- READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Riley Gaines calls for female athletes to BOYCOTT events and give governing bodies ‘a big thumbs down’
Parents of high school athletes forced to compete against a trans runner have told DailyMail.com that they are ‘too terrified’ to speak out for fear of their children being disqualified.
California senior Adeline Johnson, 18, placed fourth in the varsity girls’ 1,600-meter finals of the CIF-North Coast Section Meet of Champions after being beaten by transgender runner Athena Ryan.
The fourth-place spot meant that she missed out on the state championship and was seen gesturing a thumbs down after the race that took place on Saturday.
Her school has since denied that the motion was at her transgender counterpart, telling DailyMail.com that it was a response to her mother regarding Adeline’s individual performance and it ‘should not be construed as a statement about her competitors.’
The Branson School added that they ‘support and commend’ all of the athletes who participated – despite parents claiming they feared their children being disqualified if they spoke out against transgender athletes.
Athena Ryan raced past several of her competitors at the CIF-North Coast Section Meet of Champions during the last 100 meters – something parents say would be ‘biologically impossible’ for a girl
Students and guardians must both sign the code of conduct if they want to race, with many having specific guidelines against ‘hate speech’ or ‘bullying’ based on gender.
If they are accused of breaching the contract, then they risk being disqualified or disciplined by the school, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) or the North Coast Section board.
One parent, who requested to remain anonymous over fears of a backlash, told DailyMail.com: ‘We have all been advised that we are not protected. As a family, anything we say falls under the student code of conduct.
‘If we don’t follow the guidelines, then it is considered bullying. They can’t protect our girls from being disqualified so I understand why no one wants to speak out.
‘We knew there was a potential for this all year, for them to race against a boy. He came out of fifth in the last 100 meters and ended up second – which is physically impossible for a girl to do. ‘
‘You either think that he is holding back, or it’s his lactic threshold. Which means he can access energy in the final part of the race.
‘Girls can’t do that, there is a physical way in which they race. Having a boy in there just throws off the mechanics of the race.
‘It doesn’t just affect the top three or four, it affects everyone in the entire race. Last year he ran as a boy in the cross-country season, then three months later for track he runs as a girl.
A spokesman for the Branson School said Adeline Johnson was ‘responding to her mother’ about her individual performance, and ‘it should not be construed as a statement about her competitors’
Students and guardians at most schools must both sign the code of conduct if they want to race, with many having specific guidelines against ‘hate speech’ or ‘bullying’ based on gender
Ryan, a junior at Sonoma Academy, came in second and bragged that it was one of her best races, adding that she had shaved vast amounts of time off her best performance
‘Everybody is too terrified to challenge it. There is the fear of what will happen, what will be taken away and if you won’t be allowed to race or if you’ll be canceled.’
Race records also show that the third-place runner has been scratched from the 1600 race, meaning that Adeline Johnson will have a chance to run in the state championship – though it is unclear if she is aware of the development.
Ryan, a junior at Sonoma Academy, came in second and bragged that it was one of her best races, adding that she had shaved vast amounts of time off her best performance.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Sonoma Academy and the NCS board with a request for comment.
She vaulted from sixth place in her last 1,600-meter race to second ahead of a field of senior high school females.
The California Interscholastic Federation follows ‘Gender Identity Participation’ rules first implemented in 2013.
Parents told DailyMail.com that the girls seemed ‘upset’ during the podium, adding that they are scared to do anything in case they get reprimanded
Ryan, a junior at Sonoma Academy, came in second and bragged that it was one of her best races, adding that she had shaved vast amounts of time off her best performance
Protestors were at the meet and made banners to voice their opposition to trans people being allowed to compete in women’s events
It means that any transgender student can compete in athletics and activities which is ‘consistent with their gender identity’.
The guide adds: ‘Athletes will participate in programs consistent with their gender identity or the gender most consistently expressed.’
Once a student has been granted eligibility to race as their gender identity, they do not need to be renewed each school year.
But parents have slammed the legislation, telling DailyMail.com: ‘It’s a double get. They have no choice but to accept it and when they do race, they’re terrified because if they show any emotion that isn’t positive about the other racers then they can be punished.
‘If they don’t shake their hand, or give him a high five, then you could potentially be in conduct violation for bullying.
‘What they need to do is go by the World Athletics guidance. They need to make this an elite race. People have said that someone needs to sue for this to change.
‘It can be argued that it is an elite level – they are the fastest people in California, there is a process of qualifying events and most of them go on to compete at college.
Ryan, circled, had been racing for the boy’s team at Sonoma Academy, and then switched to the girls category
Riley Gaines is calling for female athletes to boycott all events that include transgender competitors after a runner lost out on a state championship place
‘Then they have these boys, and it is just impossible to celebrate. Nobody was happy at the end of that race.
‘They are basically told to smile and shut up. The parents were p***ed and the girls were p***ed but you can’t do anything about it.
‘I think the palpable anger and frustration at the end of that race was clear, you finish a race like that and you should be jumping for joy – but people were heads down hands on hips and there was no celebrating.
‘California is a very liberal state, and the girls can’t get sucked into this because it will sap their energy before they race.
‘If he were to be put in a bigger division than the one he is in, with men, then he would finish 300th or something on those lines.’
Ryan, who recorded a time of 4:55.91 in the race, did not seem bothered by the protests and celebrated on the podium when presented with the second-place medal.
If they are accused of breaching the contract, then they risk being disqualified or disciplined by the school, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) or the North Coast Section board
Speaking after the race, Ryan told MileSplit: ‘I wasn’t expecting that. I dropped like 17 seconds on my season’s best in the past two weeks.
‘After last weekend, I didn’t think I could run low 5s again. I was just coming here trying to break 5 – just glad I finished it out.’
The comments have also been hit with a backlash by parents, who say that the comments show the difference between girls and boys.
One said: ‘To brag about 17 seconds, the girls work all year to shave two seconds off, let alone 17. I just remember seeing the interview and thinking wow.
‘Clearly, he wants the limelight, that’s for sure. I don’t think he has any idea how offensive some of the things that come out of his mouth are.
‘Our girls would have so much more technical answers other than “I’m trying to run a lot more”, they go to physical therapy, they eat well, they analyze minute things in bloodwork.
‘It’s a total joke. California has become a total joke, and it’s not fair. It completely negates all the work to be up against this kind of stuff.
‘It’s infuriating, and there is no end in sight here in California. They are taking federal law and reinterpreting it as a state’s right.
Race records also show that the third-place runner has been scratched from the 1600 race, meaning that Johnson (left) will have a chance to run in the state championship
‘To change sex to gender is totally illegal, and nobody is challenging it. The Biden administration is trying to change it to gender because right now, all we have is Title Nine protecting us.
‘They want nobody to be able to protect us. The only chance for change in California is if the World Athletics policy is applied to these races.’
‘Federal law trumps state law, but California right now is trumping the government – by changing it illegally’.
It comes after US swimming champion Riley Gaines told DailyMail.com that she wants all women to boycott races that have transgender athletes in them.
In March, World Athletics banned transgender athletes from competing at women’s events at an international level.
The NCAA is in the process of introducing new rules which will see trans athletes adhere to much stricter regulations and undergo regular testing to ensure eligibility.
Follow Ryan’s race, protesters were seen at the track holding banners that read ‘protect women’s sports’ – only for one attendee to scream at them before having security escort them off the premises.
According to witnesses several people quietly boo’s as she crossed the line, and her father was also heard shouting at the protesters.
The Women Are Real group attended the race because they were contacted by concerned parents.
Gaines, a spokeswoman for Independent Women’s Forum, has become a leading voice against the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports, after tying for fifth against controversial trans swimmer Lia Thomas
The video of Johnson’s apparent displeasure with her loss was posted by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports and shared on social media
A spokeswoman told DailyMail.com: ‘We are here to protect these girls and we believe that sex matters for women and girls. We mostly received support from those at the race, high fives and quiet words.
‘There were only two vocally outspoken people who didn’t want us to be there, with other parents asking us what it was about because they didn’t know.
‘Our organization constantly sees the feelings of boys and men are always put before the feelings of girls and women.
‘Who is there protecting girls? Their sense of unfairness and injustice. We are here so those girls know there are women out there that care about their safety and fairness.
‘Parents asked us what was going on, because unless this affects your daughter you probably don’t know it is happening. We had conversations with people and we are there to raise awareness and have a civil conversation’.
It is expected that there will be a bigger protest at the state finals next weekend in California following the backlash.
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