Aiden Gallagher, a high school male athlete who identifies as a girl and runs in the girls’ division, placed second in the girls’ two events at a recent track meet.
Judging by his finishing time, if he had raced on the men’s side he would have finished near the bottom of the pack.
Gallagher ran the 200 and 400 meters at Sherwood High School’s Need for Speed Classic in Oregon on Saturday. A video of Mr Gallagher following the girls off the field went viral over the weekend, sparking outrage.
🚨🚨
A transgender man just won the women’s 200-meter race at the Sherwood Need for Speed Classic in Sherwood, Oregon.
Aiden Gallagher, a boy who “identifies” as a girl, easily beats his female competitors and sets a new record. pic.twitter.com/CWhVFeRXBP
— REDUXX (@ReduxxMag) April 13, 2024
Gallagher completed the 200 meters in 25.49 seconds and the 400 meters in 55.61 seconds. Had he recorded that time in the men’s division, he would have finished 61st out of 65 in the 200m and 46th out of 58 in the 400m.
In other words, he would not have been able to get close to the podium.
There was a flurry of reactions from X users who objected to Gallagher’s participation, arguing that female athletes should have refused to participate in such an obviously unfair race.
Why did they compete? All they had to do was not step foot on the track. The girls have the power to stop the clown show, but they don’t actually do it.I can’t feel sorry for them if they aren’t going to help themselves
— Munga (@surfer781) April 14, 2024
In women’s and women’s sports, 2nd place becomes the new 1st place.
At least until the players and their parents start boycotting it all together.
— Mark Neugebaue ✝️ Ephesians 6:12 ✝️ (@MarkNeugebaue13) April 13, 2024
Gallagher’s parents must be so proud! 🙄 pic.twitter.com/FzgsOAX8jg
— Slartibartfast (@Slarty247) April 13, 2024
All parents who let their daughters compete are complicit. This situation will not end until mothers, fathers and girls refuse to participate.
— Watsaname (@chronicparent) April 13, 2024
One concerned parent called for change, noting that Gallagher’s finish would likely dethrone a deserving female runner who would advance to the Oregon state championships and ultimately.
We need to require a third category for high school competitions or race by biological sex. Anything else is a mockery of female track and field athletes. We must not allow boys to replace girls as participants in state tournaments. That’s exactly what’s going to happen.
— Let_Oregon_Learn (@LetOregonLearn) April 13, 2024
Twenty states have taken steps to prevent men who identify as women from participating in women’s sports. Sadly for the women who competed with Gallagher, Oregon State is not among them.
