Five West Virginia female middle school athletes who refused to throw the shot put against a boy after a circuit court exempted him from a state law that prevents males from competing on female sports’ teams have been banned from participating in their next competition.
On April 18, the five girls attended the 2024 Harrison County Middle School Championships track and field meet where they were scheduled to compete in shot put.
The five students stepped out of the shot-put circle without throwing, forfeiting in protest of the participation of an eighth-grade male student presenting himself as a girl during the competition.
After four of the five girls filed a lawsuit against the Harrison County Board of Education protesting the ban, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey stepped in and wrote an amicus brief on their behalf.
“I will do everything in my power to defend these brave young girls,” Morrisey wrote Monday on X. “This is just wrong. We must stand for what’s right and oppose these radical trans policies.”
“The only thing this decision does is teach these children to keep their mouths shut and not disagree with what they saw as unfairness,” said Morrisey, according to a statement from his office. “That is outrageous and it tramples these students’ rights to freedom of speech and expression.”
“Their actions at the earlier track meet were not disruptive or aggrandizing. They were the quiet demonstration of the student-athletes’ evident unhappiness with the competitive consequences of a federal appellate court’s decision,” said Morrisey, a Republican candidate for governor.
“Rather than being punished for their conduct or being sidelined in an effort to score points, all should commend these young athletes for putting their personal performances aside to demonstrate their discontent with an unjust result that affects them personally and within that event,” he said.
Other conservatives took to X to express support for the banned girls.
“How many young girls are losing opportunities because cowardly liberal and RINO politicians are caving to mental illness?” the Travis Media Group asked.
“Girls banned from girls’ sports instead of a male being banned from girls’ sports,” wrote Greg Scott, vice president of policy for the Center for Arizona Policy’s, noting, “and this isn’t California or New York. This is Wild and Abominable West Virginia.”
“You can’t participate in this meet until you admit girls don’t exist,” said the Redheaded Libertarian, “unless you want abortions, because it’s your righ
To respectfully express your thoughtful opinion to members of the Harrison County Board of Education, call (304) 326-7300.
Members of the Harrison County Board of Education:
- Gary Hamrick – President
- Frank Devono Jr. – Vice President
- Douglas Hogue
- Mary Frances Smith
- William “Tom” Tucker
