Payton McNabb, a high school volleyball player from North Carolina, who was injured when a transgender athlete spiked a ball into her face during a match, showed her discontent with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday.
McNabb stated that Jean-Pierre was playing the victim after attacking Owen Jensen; a reporter with the Catholic network EWTN, during a press briefing. Jensen asked what the White House would tell parents who were concerned about the safety of their daughters competing against transgender athletes, to which Jean-Pierre replied that Jensen had called them dangerous.
McNabb added that the press secretary was hypocritical for her reaction and expects nothing less from the Biden administration. The national conversation about biological males who identify as transgender competing in women’s sports has largely been in the spotlight since University of Pennsylvania’s swimmer Lia Thomas won the 500-yard women’s final of the 2022 NCAA Championships.
Riley Gaines, a competitor against Lia in the championships, has held vocal opposition to allowing transgender athletes to be part of women’s sports. Also making headlines is Glenique Frank’s participation in the London Marathon in April, where the biological male finished ahead of over 14,000 women, as well as the retirement of cyclocross champion Hannah Arensmen.
In light of the national outrage, in April the Biden administration proposed new regulations involving Title IX that would make it unlawful for states to restrict biological males from taking part in women’s sports.
As a consequence of this, 24 governors asked the Biden administration to withdraw the newly proposed regulations on May 12. Despite their plea, thus far, there has been no sign of the Biden administration actually withdrawing the regulations.
Though this debate may appear to be limited to just the political realm, it’s impossible to avoid the consequences of the proposed legislation, which could land Payton McNabb in the same shoe she was in just four months ago before being injured.
It is pivotal that everyone remembers that behind the political conversations, there are very serious issues and human lives and careers involved.