Transgender cross country runner Soren Stark-Chessa has found success in the girls’ 5k cross-country competition in Maine this year, but not everyone is happy about it.
Last year, Stark-Chessa competed in the boys division, ranking just 172nd in the district as a freshman. But now, competing as a girl after her transition since last year, she has earned the No. 4 ranking in the girls division.
Though Stark-Chessa has support from her school’s athletic department, she has faced a lot of criticism.
“It is not fair to a female who has trained hard,” one young runner said of the decision to allow her to compete, according to The Daily Mail. “Males are biologically faster than females, with testosterone. They need to run under their biological gender.”
One mother of track athletes also expressed her displeasure.
“Men are simply larger, faster, and stronger than their female counterparts,” the mother told The Daily Mail. “To compare, the top ranked female high school runner in all of New England would only be ranked 47th among high school boys in Maine.”
And after her story went viral on social media, many also expressed their displeasure.
How many transgenders who have undergone surgical transition, are competing?
ZERO!
Make it mandatory, that Penectomy precedes competition.
Penectomy precedes incarceration in female prisons.
This would surely eliminate 99.6% of men bullying females and dominating their sports. https://t.co/pnYLeULkDH— Patricia Jacob (@jacob_patricia) October 1, 2023
Clearly heard someone yell "Nice job, bro." 🙄 https://t.co/yoIk14CrC4
— Diane Eggers (@deggers94) September 30, 2023
Did I hear someone say 'Nice job bro?" https://t.co/Qc3lSMS75h
— james hilsenbeck (@craigkevin12) October 1, 2023
Look at how Maine votes, and you get what you vote for: boys beating girls. #MainePrincipalsAssociation https://t.co/4OfgwkqtzI
— Chris Riley (@chfriley) October 3, 2023
“Way to cheat bro” 😂😂 https://t.co/2lojVymXXv
— RugbyKids (@RugbyKids_) October 2, 2023
Run, Forrest, run! https://t.co/yAvlGStTe6
— John Corbett (@scooterrat) September 30, 2023
It’s worth noting that Maine has a law that prohibits “unlawful educational discrimination.” And by allowing Stark-Chessa to compete, the school believes it is following that guideline.
