What Megan Rapinoe gets wrong in the transgender athlete debate

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........

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