HS girls write editorial in The Hill newspaper on Trans rights.

[mspart]

https://thehill.com/opinion/education/6045791-rapinoe-dismisses-high-school-athletes/

What Megan Rapinoe gets wrong in the transgender athlete debate

Comments:2

by Frances Staudt and Ahnaleigh Wilson, opinion contributors - 08/25/26 7:00 AM ET

Megan Rapinoe recently wrote in an op-ed that women and girls “can speak for ourselves.” As two female high school athletes living under Washington state’s current sports policies, we could not agree more.

Here is what’s happening in Washington: One of us finished second in a girls’ 1600-meter state race, behind a biological male. The other sat out of a girls’ basketball game rather than play against a biological male on the opposing team.

We wanted the same thing every girl athlete wants: a fair and safe chance to compete in the sports we love. We were both denied that.

Our decision to speak up has been costly. We have been called hateful, transphobic, bigots and bullies. We have both been harassed online and in person. One of us was told she would be responsible if transgender athletes take their own lives because we spoke up. One of us was even sued for speaking publicly about what happened.

All of this for demanding that girls receive fair competition, privacy and equal opportunities.

That is why Rapinoe’s essay is so frustrating. She says girls can speak for ourselves, but she dismisses the girls who do.

We respect what Rapinoe accomplished on the soccer field. She helped grow women’s sports and spent her career fighting for better pay and recognition for female athletes. But her whole career was built inside a protected category for women only. She never had to win a spot on a sex-neutral national team.

Rapinoe was able to compete against other women because the leagues she played in understood that sex matters in athletic competition — the very thing she now says should not matter. It is easy for her to tell high school girls to accept policies she never had to compete under herself.

Rapinoe remembers being a 13-year-old who didn’t fit someone else’s idea of femininity. We both understand why that memory matters to her. But Initiative 638 would never have asked whether she looked feminine enough. Rather it would have recognized that she was female and therefore eligible for the category that allowed her to become a World Cup champion.

People often say there are so few transgender athletes competing that girls should just accept the current policies. But Washington does not even know how many biological males are competing in girls’ sports. One of us had already competed against four different biological males by her sophomore year. Our state superintendent explained that the WIAA’s reported numbers only count transgender athletes at the varsity level. Everyone competing below varsity is left out.

For girls, the loss of even one lost roster spot, championship, scholarship or fair shot against a male athlete is already one too many.

That is why the claims about Washington’s Initiative 638 matter. Rapinoe’s most alarming one is that Initiative 638 would force girls to undergo genital inspections or buy DNA or hormone tests before they can play. That is simply false. The initiative, which will appear on Washington state ballots this fall, would simply require students competing in female-only sports to provide a statement from their own health care providers verifying biological sex, as part of the sports physical they already complete. The provider can rely on existing records or patient history to do it.

Doctors in Washington already use internal forms that include sex verification. Those forms stay with the doctor instead of appearing on the sports physical sheet. So Initiative 638 merely adds a check box for a doctor to fill out on a form that already exists.

Rapinoe asks whether girls who are tall, muscular, fast, short-haired, or deep-voiced will count as “girl enough.” Of course a girl can be tall, strong, short-haired, or have interests that don’t fit expectations. None of that makes her any less of a female. Keeping girls in girls’ leagues and boys in boys’ leagues has nothing to do with how feminine or masculine anyone looks. It has to do with their sex.

This is not about hatred or denying anyone’s dignity. Transgender students deserve respect, privacy and protection from harassment. Every student should have a real chance to participate in sports. But respect for one group should not come at the expense of another. Protecting transgender students does not require girls to give up the fairness and safety that sex-based categories in sports were created to provide. Washington can and should do both.

We do not want Rapinoe to stop speaking. We are asking her to stop dismissing girls who disagree with her, treating them like they are invisible and claiming they are hateful or being manipulated. When she does that, she fuels hostility and makes it harder for girls to tell their stories without fear. Listening to girls means listening to all girls, even the ones who disagree. 

We are speaking for ourselves, and we will not quit.

Frances Staudt and Ahnaleigh Wilson are high school athletes in Washington state. 

For the record, I agree with them.   Rapinoe is not a serious person because her US women's soccer team got beat by U15 boys 5-2.   Now these were probably elite boys but they were elite women.   And the boys were U15.   That there is an indictment of everything Rapinoe said.   

mspart

 

 

 

 

 

[Caveira]

9 minutes ago, mspart said:

https://thehill.com/opinion/education/6045791-rapinoe-dismisses-high-school-athletes/

What Megan Rapinoe gets wrong in the transgender athlete debate

Comments:2

by Frances Staudt and Ahnaleigh Wilson, opinion contributors - 08/25/26 7:00 AM ET

Megan Rapinoe recently wrote in an op-ed that women and girls “can speak for ourselves.” As two female high school athletes living under Washington state’s current sports policies, we could not agree more.

Here is what’s happening in Washington: One of us finished second in a girls’ 1600-meter state race, behind a biological male. The other sat out of a girls’ basketball game rather than play against a biological male on the opposing team.

We wanted the same thing every girl athlete wants: a fair and safe chance to compete in the sports we love. We were both denied that.

Our decision to speak up has been costly. We have been called hateful, transphobic, bigots and bullies. We have both been harassed online and in person. One of us was told she would be responsible if transgender athletes take their own lives because we spoke up. One of us was even sued for speaking publicly about what happened.

All of this for demanding that girls receive fair competition, privacy and equal opportunities.

That is why Rapinoe’s essay is so frustrating. She says girls can speak for ourselves, but she dismisses the girls who do.

We respect what Rapinoe accomplished on the soccer field. She helped grow women’s sports and spent her career fighting for better pay and recognition for female athletes. But her whole career was built inside a protected category for women only. She never had to win a spot on a sex-neutral national team.

Rapinoe was able to compete against other women because the leagues she played in understood that sex matters in athletic competition — the very thing she now says should not matter. It is easy for her to tell high school girls to accept policies she never had to compete under herself.

Rapinoe remembers being a 13-year-old who didn’t fit someone else’s idea of femininity. We both understand why that memory matters to her. But Initiative 638 would never have asked whether she looked feminine enough. Rather it would have recognized that she was female and therefore eligible for the category that allowed her to become a World Cup champion.

People often say there are so few transgender athletes competing that girls should just accept the current policies. But Washington does not even know how many biological males are competing in girls’ sports. One of us had already competed against four different biological males by her sophomore year. Our state superintendent explained that the WIAA’s reported numbers only count transgender athletes at the varsity level. Everyone competing below varsity is left out.

For girls, the loss of even one lost roster spot, championship, scholarship or fair shot against a male athlete is already one too many.

That is why the claims about Washington’s Initiative 638 matter. Rapinoe’s most alarming one is that Initiative 638 would force girls to undergo genital inspections or buy DNA or hormone tests before they can play. That is simply false. The initiative, which will appear on Washington state ballots this fall, would simply require students competing in female-only sports to provide a statement from their own health care providers verifying biological sex, as part of the sports physical they already complete. The provider can rely on existing records or patient history to do it.

Doctors in Washington already use internal forms that include sex verification. Those forms stay with the doctor instead of appearing on the sports physical sheet. So Initiative 638 merely adds a check box for a doctor to fill out on a form that already exists.

Rapinoe asks whether girls who are tall, muscular, fast, short-haired, or deep-voiced will count as “girl enough.” Of course a girl can be tall, strong, short-haired, or have interests that don’t fit expectations. None of that makes her any less of a female. Keeping girls in girls’ leagues and boys in boys’ leagues has nothing to do with how feminine or masculine anyone looks. It has to do with their sex.

This is not about hatred or denying anyone’s dignity. Transgender students deserve respect, privacy and protection from harassment. Every student should have a real chance to participate in sports. But respect for one group should not come at the expense of another. Protecting transgender students does not require girls to give up the fairness and safety that sex-based categories in sports were created to provide. Washington can and should do both.

We do not want Rapinoe to stop speaking. We are asking her to stop dismissing girls who disagree with her, treating them like they are invisible and claiming they are hateful or being manipulated. When she does that, she fuels hostility and makes it harder for girls to tell their stories without fear. Listening to girls means listening to all girls, even the ones who disagree. 

We are speaking for ourselves, and we will not quit.

Frances Staudt and Ahnaleigh Wilson are high school athletes in Washington state. 

For the record, I agree with them.   Rapinoe is not a serious person because her US women's soccer team got beat by U15 boys 5-2.   Now these were probably elite boys but they were elite women.   And the boys were U15.   That there is an indictment of everything Rapinoe said.   

mspart

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t they (rapino) also take part of the usmnt prize $$$ too ?

so they literally need the men lol 

wnba is subsidized by the nba too 

Edited August 31 by Caveira

[red viking]

The right wing obsession continues.....

Sky high inflation, runaway deficit spending, a pedo prez and a never ending war in IRAN. 

But let's instead obsess over the tranny hoards supposedly invading women's sports. Lmfao. 

Edited September 1 by red viking

[Caveira]

Just now, red viking said:

The right wing obsession continues.....

Sky high inflation, runaway deficit spending, a pedo prez and a never ending war in IRAN. 

But let's obsess over the tranny hoards supposedly invading women's sports. Lmfao. 

Djia at 54,000

[JimmySpeaks]

I haven’t been to a subway since they paid her money. 

[red viking]

19 minutes ago, Caveira said:

Djia at 54,000

Main St more important than wall.st. 

33% approval. 

Vengeance is coming

[red viking]

11 minutes ago, JimmySpeaks said:

I haven’t been to a subway since they paid her money. 

I go twice per week since then.

[Caveira]

2 minutes ago, red viking said:

Main St more important than wall.st. 

33% approval. 

Vengeance is coming

The djia represents all streets boss.   People on all street's should also be investing at a young age…. Even if it isn’t a ton  

Edited September 1 by Caveira

[red viking]

Just now, Caveira said:

The djia represents all streets boss.  

It doesn't you idiot. 110% out of touch. 

[Caveira]

5 minutes ago, red viking said:

It doesn't you idiot. 110% out of touch. 

And you think republicans need to be re educated 

what prevents people investing a few bucks a month on regular streets ?

Edited September 1 by Caveira

[JimmySpeaks]

5 minutes ago, red viking said:

I go twice per week since then.

They dumped her like their business. Better go four times. 

Edited September 1 by JimmySpeaks

[Scouts Honor]

1 hour ago, red viking said:

Main St more important than wall.st. 

 

so the wind is blowing that way today?

[Scouts Honor]

1 hour ago, red viking said:

I go twice per week since then.

with sky high inflation how can you afford it? 

do they take EBT? 

[mspart]

18 hours ago, red viking said:

The right wing obsession continues.....

Sky high inflation, runaway deficit spending, a pedo prez and a never ending war in IRAN. 

But let's instead obsess over the tranny hoards supposedly invading women's sports. Lmfao. 

These two girls, in the article, testify of their own first hand experiences with supposedly tranny hoards invading womens' sports.   You might want to read it.   Very illuminating.  

mspart

[red viking]

19 hours ago, mspart said:

For the record, I agree with them.   Rapinoe is not a serious person because her US women's soccer team got beat by U15 boys 5-2.   Now these were probably elite boys but they were elite women.   And the boys were U15.   That there is an indictment of everything Rapinoe said.   

Thats a pretty dumb statement. First of all, it has zero bearing on the quality of women's soccer. Boys are bigger, faster and stronger, in general, but if you cant appreciate other attributes in sports then you you are pea brained or just dont appreciate sports at all. 

Second of all, it was a scrimmage and the woman's team was trying a lot of different things and nothing whatsoever was on the line. This is like some idiot bragging that he beat a guy in a practice match in the wrestling room on some random day. It doesn't matter much. Not a real match. 

Could they beat them in real match? Not sure, but that scrimmage doesn't prove that. 

 

Edited September 1 by red viking

[Bigbrog]

1 hour ago, red viking said:

Thats a pretty dumb statement. First of all, it has zero bearing on the quality of women's soccer. Boys are bigger, faster and stronger, in general, but if you cant appreciate other attributes in sports then you you are pea brained or just dont appreciate sports at all. 

Second of all, it was a scrimmage and the woman's team was trying a lot of different things and nothing whatsoever was on the line. This is like some idiot bragging that he beat a guy in a practice match in the wrestling room on some random day. It doesn't matter much. Not a real match. 

Could they beat them in real match? Not sure, but that scrimmage doesn't prove that. 

 

What other attributes should be appreciated?

[JimmySpeaks]

1 hour ago, red viking said:

Thats a pretty dumb statement. First of all, it has zero bearing on the quality of women's soccer. Boys are bigger, faster and stronger, in general, but if you cant appreciate other attributes in sports then you you are pea brained or just dont appreciate sports at all. 

Second of all, it was a scrimmage and the woman's team was trying a lot of different things and nothing whatsoever was on the line. This is like some idiot bragging that he beat a guy in a practice match in the wrestling room on some random day. It doesn't matter much. Not a real match. 

Could they beat them in real match? Not sure, but that scrimmage doesn't prove that. 

 

It was a game.  The u15 boys won by three goals. For all you know the boys weren’t even trying. 

[red viking]

1 minute ago, JimmySpeaks said:

It was a game.  The u15 boys won by three goals. For all you know the boys weren’t even trying. 

It was a scrimmage idiot. 

[JimmySpeaks]

Just now, red viking said:

It was a scrimmage idiot. 

In which score was kept dipshit. U15 boys win 9/10 times 

[red viking]

1 minute ago, JimmySpeaks said:

In which score was kept dipshit. U15 boys win 9/10 times 

People keep score in scrimmages all the time u moron. 

[JimmySpeaks]

3 minutes ago, red viking said:

People keep score in scrimmages all the time u moron. 

Yep and the better team wins don’t they dip shit? 

[mspart]

1 hour ago, red viking said:

Thats a pretty dumb statement. First of all, it has zero bearing on the quality of women's soccer. Boys are bigger, faster and stronger, in general, but if you cant appreciate other attributes in sports then you you are pea brained or just dont appreciate sports at all. 

Second of all, it was a scrimmage and the woman's team was trying a lot of different things and nothing whatsoever was on the line. This is like some idiot bragging that he beat a guy in a practice match in the wrestling room on some random day. It doesn't matter much. Not a real match. 

Could they beat them in real match? Not sure, but that scrimmage doesn't prove that. 

 

Do you honestly think the US Mens team would allow a u15 team to beat them 5-2 and laugh it off?   Now way would that happen.   As soon as their experimenting obviously didn't work because it was 3-1 for the u15 boys, the gloves would come off and they would smoke them.   

Either the Women didn't care (and they should have) or they got smoked (and they did).  You can excuse it however you want but U15 boys beat the best the US women had to offer, women near twice the age of these boys.   Period.  So to allow men/boys to play in womens/girls sports is ridiculous.  This is a prime example. 

Of course the men wanting to play in the WNBA shouldn't be allowed to do so.   Someone will get hurt and it ain't the men.   There is a reason why men play men sports and women play women sports.   Let's not start changing that because of some anti science philosophical movement.      

mspart

[Gene Mills Fan]

20 hours ago, red viking said:

The right wing obsession continues.....

Sky high inflation, runaway deficit spending, a pedo prez and a never ending war in IRAN. 

But let's instead obsess over the tranny hoards supposedly invading women's sports. Lmfao. 

Can you write this to the little girls who got beat by the boys???   What would your words to your little daughter be after she gets no place cause two boys with long hair beat her?