A High School Athlete’s Perspective on Competition and Controversy
A high school runner from Maine, who recently placed second in a track event behind a transgender athlete, expressed that her disappointment stemmed not from the competition itself but from the negative political attention it attracted from a Republican lawmaker.
Anelise Feldman, a freshman at Yarmouth High School, was runner-up to Soren Stark-Chessa, a prominent athlete from North Yarmouth Academy, during a track meet on May 2. Feldman performed exceptionally well, marking her personal best in the 1,600-meter race, which also qualified her for varsity status according to her school’s criteria.
In a letter to The Portland Press Herald, Feldman wrote, “Achieving a personal record and earning varsity status filled me with pride. The outcome of the race did not take away from the joy of my accomplishment.”
“The outcome of the race did not take away from the joy of my accomplishment.”
Feldman’s remarks came in response to comments made by State Rep. Laurel Libby (R-90) during a Fox News interview, where Libby criticized the participation of transgender athletes in female sports, claiming they unfairly displace cisgender female athletes.
Feldman emphasized, “I don’t believe I lost first place. Rather, I believe that what should have been a celebratory day was marred by the actions of a bully using children for political leverage.”
“We’re just teenagers navigating high school, and for many of us, sports are a highlight. Soren’s participation did not hurt anyone, but the toxic rhetoric from figures like Rep. Libby threatens to rob certain kids of the opportunity to play sports, simply because of their identity,” Feldman added.
Maine has become a battleground for transgender rights, particularly as the Trump administration has sought to rollback protections. These efforts include attempts to redefine Title IX to exclude trans and nonbinary individuals, reinstate a ban on transgender military service members, remove “X” gender markers on passports, eliminate federal support for gender-affirming healthcare, and more. Despite federal pressures, Maine has expanded its anti-discrimination laws to include protections for transgender student-athletes.
The state’s actions have drawn sharp criticism from the Trump administration. Governor Janet Mills faced threats of federal funding cuts for refusing to ban transgender women and girls from female sports teams, which would contravene state law. Following a series of legal and administrative challenges, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Maine, a move met with resistance and ultimately, a settlement that saw the restoration of threatened federal funds.
Gov. Mills stated, “A few months ago, at the White House, I challenged the president, asserting that we would meet in court. We did, and we triumphed.”
Rep. Libby, who is currently prohibited from voting on legislation pending an apology for jeopardizing the safety of a transgender student athlete, has continued to misrepresent trans athletes as threats in recent legislative sessions.
“Our girls are being forced to settle for second place, not due to a lack of effort, but because someone else’s ideology is deemed more important than their right to compete on a level playing field,” argued Libby.
However, statistics do not support Libby’s claims. No transgender athlete has recorded times among the top ten fastest in U.S. high school history for the 800 or 1,600-meter races.
Stark-Chessa’s times in these events are significantly slower than the records, and many record-holding athletes and their families have spoken out against the backlash targeting transgender competitors, which often includes violent threats.
Detractors frequently argue that unsuccessful male athletes might transition to female to gain an advantage in women’s sports. Yet, a 2023 peer-reviewed study refuted this, showing no evidence of cisgender men transitioning for competitive benefit, and further research has demonstrated that transgender women undergoing hormone therapy do not have a physiological advantage over cisgender women in sports.
Moreover, transgender youth face significant challenges, including harassment and discrimination, which often hinder their participation in sports and educational activities. The 2022 U.S. Trans Survey reported severe abuse of visibly transgender girls, leading to a significant number either leaving school or being expelled due to the hostility they faced.
“The notion that transgender women and girls have an advantage simply because they are trans overlooks the real and harsh conditions they endure,” noted Chase Strangio and Gabriel Arkels in an ACLU commentary.
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