Female athletes at a West Virginia middle school track meet staged a protest by refusing to compete against a transgender athlete, sparking wider discussions on sports and gender policies.

A recent track and field championship at Liberty High School in West Virginia became the centre of controversy as several middle school female athletes from Lincoln Middle School protested against competing with a transgender athlete, Becky Pepper-Jackson, who participated in the girls’ shot put event. The incident occurred during the 2024 Harrison County Middle School Championships, where seven schools competed.

The protest was captured on cellphone video, showing several female shot-put participants stepping into the ring and then stepping out without attempting a throw, signalling their refusal to compete. This act of protest was noted by sports and local news outlets, reflecting the ongoing national debate over the participation of transgender athletes in school sports.

OutKick, which reported the incident, highlighted that while the video showed six separate protests by athletes from Lincoln, official results from AthleticNet recorded five girls from the school posting “ND” (no distance) for the event, indicating they did not participate. The controversy stems from a recent legal decision involving Pepper-Jackson, a biological male who has been living as a female and undergoing hormonal treatment.

Earlier in the week, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 decision that a West Virginia law requiring students to participate in sports according to their biological sex violated Title IX rights, specifically referencing Pepper-Jackson’s case. This ruling underscored the legal complexities surrounding transgender participation in sports, aligning with broader national discussions.

At the championship, Pepper-Jackson won the shot put final with a throw of 32 feet, 9 inches, surpassing the second-place finisher by over three feet. She also placed second in the discus finals, with Ava McGill of Lincoln winning the event. McGill did not participate in the shot put protest, and results indicate varied participation among the protesting Lincoln athletes in other events.

This incident has highlighted the challenges and divisions within school sports programs as they navigate the inclusion of transgender athletes. The protests by the students at the championship reflect wider societal debates over fairness, inclusion, and the rights of transgender individuals in competitive sports settings.

As communities and schools continue to grapple with these issues, the conversation is expected to evolve with further legal interpretations and societal responses to the complex intersection of gender identity and competitive sports.