Im a high school athlete dont let Prop 1 destroy girls sports

Boys and girls aren’t biologically the same.Why are schools — and Democratic lawmakers in Albany — duping girls like me into believing that they are?Recently, on a beautiful fall afternoon, I found myself at the USTA Tennis Center in Queens.A few weeks earlier, the courts were home to the best tennis players in the world.Here I was representing my elite private high school as a member of the girls’ varsity tennis team.My nerves were on display after hitting a few balls into the net.

But my anxiety worsened when I saw who was on the other team: a boy.His voice was deep.He had broad shoulders.

He was clearly stronger, with a bigger build than the rest of us.He wasn’t even trying to pretend that he was a girl.Thanks to former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines — and her exposure of the injustice of trans athletes in women’s sports — I knew that this was an unfair competition. Trans athletes are a physical danger to females.

Many girls have been hurt playing sports against biological boys.In one case that made headlines in 2022, North Carolina volleyball player Payton McNabb was left unconscious when a biologically male opponent spiked a ball at her head. Biological boys are also stealing medals away from deserving girls who devote their lives to their sports.Just last week, the United Nations released a report that showed girls lost 900 medals to biological males. The boy I witnessed at the Tennis Center was one of the top players on his school’s team.I fumed while watching my teammate play against him in a singles match.

Even worse, I watched his coaches cheer him on.I felt for the girl who got cut from the team because of him. He was permitted to play against girls because of rules set by the New York State Association of Independent Schools allowing biological boys to identify as girls and play on a girls’ team.

These are the rules that every private school accredited by NYSAIS — including Dalton, Brearley and many more — has t...