Transgender freshman qualifies for WV girls’ track state championship meet in two events

A male transgender athlete will participate in a girls’ outdoor track and field state championship meet in a deep red state this weekend.

Freshman Becky Pepper-Jackson qualified to compete in the West Virginia High School State Track and Field Championships thanks to strong performances May 15 at the Class AAA Region I meet.

During that meet, the Bridgeport High School student placed third in shot put (34 feet, 3.75 inches) and fourth in the discus (108 feet, 8 inches). Pepper-Jackson has placed seventh statewide in girls’ discus and ninth in shot put.

Although West Virginia has a law banning transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports, Pepper-Jackson is an exception – for now.

After Pepper-Jackson’s family challenged the law in court, a U.S. district judge granted the athlete an injunction, saying the law couldn’t be enforced against him during the case, WV Metro News reports.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, has opposed the practice of biological male athletes competing against girls. 

“I believe what is going on right now in West Virginia – with boys playing sports against girls – to be abhorrent and contrary to law,” he posted on X earlier this month. “While we wait for the Supreme Court to issue their ruling in this case, I’m calling on all coaches involved to let these brave athletes take a stand for what is right without unfair punishment. 

“As we all work toward removing the wrongly-decided injunction in upcoming months, I ask for all tournament officials to keep a full set of results so that true winners of each event may be recognized when the Supreme Court rules in our favor.”

In California, a girl who lost to a transgender track athlete recently stood up for herself. 

Crean Lutheran High School junior Reese Hogan finished second to male athlete AB Hernandez in the triple jump event at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division 3 Southern Section Finals last weekend. 

Hogan stood on the first-place section of the podium in protest of Hernandez since she had the best performance of any female athlete competing in the meet.

Over their track uniforms, Hogan and some of her friends wore “Protect Girls Sports” T-shirts before the meet.

“It wasn’t said, but it was implied that if I didn’t take my shirt off then and there, then something could potentially happen to my spot,” she told Fox News of reactions from meet officials. “Throughout the day it was kind of getting a little bit more stricter…  getting a little bit more hostile with their voices. … They never said anything about getting disqualified, but it was kind of implied by the tone of their voice and the way that they said things.”