SHERWOOD, Ore. (TND) — A transgender track and field competitor in Oregon sparked outrage online after posting a dominant time in a high school competition.
Aayden Gallagher marked a blazing 25.49-second time in the women’s varsity 200 meters at the Sherwood Need For Speed Classic Saturday. The next closest runner in the heat crossed the finish line around the 30-second mark.
The personal record time earned Gallagher second place at the event behind Aster Jones, who currently holds the Oregon women’s 100 meter dash record and the state’s second fastest 200 meter time. Gallagher’s time now makes her the fifth-fastest 200 meter dash runner in the state.
The Oregon School Activities Organization, which oversees the state’s high school athletic competitions, currently stipulates a transgender competitor may notify their school of their gender identity and be “consistently treated as that gender for purposes of eligibility for athletics.”
For both historical reasons, as well as reasons related to compliance with Title IX, interscholastic athletics and activities have typically been divided by gender, with a few exceptions,” the Oregon School Activities Organization writes in its Gender identity Participation policy. “Formulating new processes to address concerns about participation regardless of a student's gender identity requires a new approach to eligibility, an approach reflected in these policies.”Reacting to Gallagher’s win via X was Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
“Disgraceful,” Sen. Cruzsaid. “Why do you think none of the girls are even close?”
Let's call this what it is: encouraged AND celebrated cheating at the hands of the ‘adults’ in the room,” women’s sports activist Riley Gaines noted. “So many fingers to point, but shame on the parents, the schools, the boy, our weak administration, and @OssaSports.”“Are we supposed to talk about this kind of BS?” Utah gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman asked. “The girl athletes in this race have to have someone, somewhere who will stand up.”
The student paper for Leodis V. McDaniel High School, which Gallagher attends, quoted her in an opinion column on youth gender transitions in 2023. She told the school's student outlet her use of estrogen hormone therapy would help her feel “a lot more confident.”
The school did not respond to a request for comment from The National Desk Monday.
Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com.
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