Middle school girls refuse to compete in track and field events in protest of court ruling allowing boy to compete as girl

Five middle school girls refused to participate in throwing events during a track and field championship in West Virginia in protest of a recent appeals court ruling in favor of a male athlete competing as a girl.

In a 2-1 ruling on April 16, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that a West Virginia law prohibiting biological boys from participating in girls’ sports should not apply to a 13-year-old transgender athlete, in part because the male, referred to as B.P.J. in court documents, had identified as girl for so long.

“The defendants cannot expect that B.P.J. will countermand her social transition, her medical treatment, and all the work she has done with her schools, teachers, and coaches for nearly half her life by introducing herself to teammates, coaches, and even opponents as a boy,” Judge Toby Heytens wrote, citing Title IX, the AP reported. 

Two days after the ruling, when five female athletes from Lincoln Middle School stepped up in their throwing events at the 2024 Harrison County Middle School Track and Field Championships, they refused to throw and left the ring, according to OutKick. 

The transgender athlete at the center of the ruling represents Bridgeport Middle School and competes in both shot put and discus throwing events.  

According to OutKick, that transgender athlete won in the shot put event. 

Riley Gaines, host of the Gaines for Girls podcast on OutKick, lauded the courage of the young protesters.

“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,” Gaines wrote on X. “Enough is enough. The tide is turning!” 

While the court ruling pertains only to the individual in the case and doesn’t alter the West Virginia law, it sets a potential precedent for similar cases in the future.