A West Virginia judge has overturned a school district’s ban on five female students who protested being forced to compete against transgender athletes in a high school track meet.
Last month, five female students protested after they were forced to step into a shot put ring with a transgender student, but then immediately left the ring and forfeited the competition.
On Thursday, five West Virginia middle school female athletes refused to throw the shot put against the boy Becky Pepper Jackson.
They “intervened” to protest and then “walked out.”
This is how we can finally stop men from ruining women’s sports.
These girls get it!pic.twitter.com/Kufjp3BmUX
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) April 19, 2024
However, in response to the peaceful protests, the Harrison County Board of Education banned the girls from participating in the competition, calling their actions discriminatory.
In response to the ban, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrissey, a Republican, came out in support of the girls and protested against the ban as they filed a lawsuit against the school district. signed a preliminary document stating that
“I want to say to these students and their parents: I’m rooting for you,” AG Morrissey said. “You witnessed injustice, expressed your disappointment, and sacrificed your personal performance in the sport you love. You exercised your constitutionally protected freedom of speech and expression.”
“They didn’t disrupt anything by protesting,” Morrissey said. Added. “They should be praised, not punished. We want them to know that it is honorable to hold fast to their beliefs and address their grievances within the protections guaranteed by the Constitution. They don’t have to be silent. They won by making their voices heard.”
The latest development in this saga is that a Harrison County Circuit Court judge ruled Thursday that the girls can continue to compete while their lawsuits are pending.
Justice Thomas A. Bedell noted that “the public interest always trumps free speech.” WV News.
The judge also appeared to believe that the girl’s case was more about free speech than about gender. Still, he said administrators at Lincoln Middle School had no malicious intent when they began banning female students.
Meanwhile, the Harrison County Board of Education denies that it engaged in “any retaliation against Lincoln Middle School students who voluntarily chose to withdraw from competing in the Harrison County Junior High School Championship Track and Field Championships,” stating that the five female students He added: were allowed to begin their protests.
“However, these students, like the rest of the team, were subject to a team rule that states that athletes who sustain an injury while competing cannot compete in the next track and field meet. This neutral, school-specific rule was in place before the student protests and has nothing to do with them. They competed in the same competition they scratched at the next track and field meet. “Other than not being allowed to participate in the protests, students continued to participate in track and field meets and other events without restriction after the protest,” the school said in a statement.
“To be clear, no student was retaliated against or punished for voicing their opinion at the Harrison County Junior High School Championship Track and Field Tournament,” the district added.
AG Morrissey celebrated the judge’s decision on Thursday, saying the girls “won by having their voices heard.”
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