Failure is a part of life, but some parents just can’t accept their kids will not always win.
Parents of the second and third place winners of an unnamed sport’s girls’ state-level competition out of Utah were apparently so baffled their daughters didn’t get first place, they actually questioned the first place winner’s gender.
The parents of the unnamed students lodged a formal complaint with the Utah High School Activities Association, accusing the unnamed winner of being transgender and assigned male at birth, instead of just accepting their kids weren’t the better athletes.
According to Desert News, UHSAA representative David Spatafore admitted the association entertained the accusation and followed through with a secret investigation, without consulting the accused student or their family.
The student’s school checked the records on the first place winner. She is a cisgender female—meaning her physical sex and assigned gender at birth matches her gender identity.
The incident happened last year. Spatafore has brought it up now after being asked how the UHSAA handles such complaints, following the passing of Utah’s HB11 law banning transgender girls from joining school sports teams that match their gender identity.
Spatafore also admitted they have gotten similar complaints before, including, “that female athlete doesn’t look feminine enough.”
People on Twitter discussed the anti-trans legislation, as well as the consequences of anti-trans rhetoric.
\u201cThis is the inevitable -- INEVITABLE -- outcome of anti-trans policies in girls' sports. Everyone claiming anti-trans policies are necessary to "protect" girls' sports has set up every. single. girl. (cis or trans) as a possible suspect. https://t.co/b5nPvnl2Cp\u201d— Jessica Luther (@Jessica Luther) 1660829106
\u201cTruth is, it's actually trans bans that are destroying women's sports.\n\nBecause they don't stop at trans girls. They investigate girls who look too manly; girls who have natural high testosterone; even girls whose competitors' parents are jealous of them. https://t.co/OJcp4ggVqE\u201d— Matthew Chapman (@Matthew Chapman) 1660834805
\u201cWe knew this was coming.\n\nAnti-trans sports bans open everyone up to harm -- including gender stereotypes and invasions of privacy.\n\nALL kids deserve respect, dignity and an equal chance to play. #LetKidsPlay\nhttps://t.co/x6kibdsEZh\u201d— Joni Madison (@Joni Madison) 1660851957
\u201cAnti-Trans \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd rhetoric \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd is \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd anti-woman \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd rhetoric! \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd Trans \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd rights \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd mean \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd women\u2019s \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd rights \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd because \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffdTrans \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd rights \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd are \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd Human \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd Rights \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd\n\nhttps://t.co/YLHGKWe6W2\u201d— \ud83c\udf3a Terra Kestrel \ud83c\udf38 (@\ud83c\udf3a Terra Kestrel \ud83c\udf38) 1660842552
\u201cThis outcome \u2013 state officials investigating a high school-aged girl for not "looking feminine enough" \u2013 is exactly what trans people and trans-inclusive feminists said would happen as a result of these anti-trans laws. https://t.co/x322pxfTJl\u201d— Julia Carrie Wong (@Julia Carrie Wong) 1660838298
\u201c"School investigates whether athlete is transgender after state win." \n\nSome that said, \u201cThat female athlete doesn\u2019t look feminine enough.\u201d\n\nTo them it's worth terrorizing cis girls, too - just to make sure not a single trans athlete plays.\n\nhttps://t.co/sM0RS74gwk\u201d— Frances_Larina (@Frances_Larina) 1660797139
This particular incident is an example of jealous parents taking advantage of the law to undermine the better performing athlete.
\u201cY'all hate trans people so much that y'all believe that the ONLY way you can be beat in a competition is based on what you deem to be an "advantage." \n\nThen, boom, the athlete turns out to be cisgender and you realize you just weren't good enough. \n\nhttps://t.co/5pGxHnLDUP\u201d— Preston Mitchum, he/him (@Preston Mitchum, he/him) 1660835600
\u201cA talented female athlete. Parents angry their team lost. A demand the school "investigate" the student's gender. The nightmare scenario lawmakers called impossible.\n\nSports bans are dangerous to all kids. Trans kids are just the canaries in the coal mine. https://t.co/5jCvgCEtWA\u201d— Sam Ames (@Sam Ames) 1660836281
\u201c@ACLU Sorry the parents claiming causing an investigation for being sore losers should be named.\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1660847520
\u201cUtah school secretly investigated if winning female student athlete is transgender https://t.co/uqqJLQF9Iz WTAF? Your kid looses and it can\u2019t be they\u2019re just not good enough! Hateful bigots! Trans or not best girl won. The complaint says a lot about US\u201d— Devine Missy S (@Devine Missy S) 1660863530
@tsukhimari/Twitter
\u201c\u201cParents in Utah filed a complaint and asked the school to investigate whether a girl who had beaten their daughters in competition was transgender\u201d\n\nTLDR: female. \n\nThis is what privilege looks like: if someone is better than you, they must be trans. https://t.co/y5FT2tE3Wv\u201d— Texas Born Texan: Director\u2019s Cut (@Texas Born Texan: Director\u2019s Cut) 1660854540
LGBTQ Nation reported the families of two transgender girls attempted to challenge the ban back in June.
For now the transphobic Utah law stands.