An interaction between high school track athletes that became part of the nation’s debate on trans sports participation was taken completely out of context, the school said Monday.
A video posted online showed a student giving a thumbs down at the podium after she took home fourth place in the varsity girls’ 1,600-meter run at a California track and field competition over the weekend.
The video was posted by Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), a group linked to swimmer Riley Gains, who has been outspoken against trans athletes.
ICONS identified the student as senior Adeline Johnson and implied the athlete gave the negative hand sign in reaction to losing to a transgender student who took second place and will move to the state championship.
But Johnson’s high school, The Branson School, said the implication was categorically false.
“The ‘thumbs-down’ gesture made by Branson runner Adeline Johnson on the infield at the NCS Meet of Champions on May 20, 2023 was a response to her mother regarding Adeline’s individual performance, and it should not be construed as a statement about her competitors,” Assistant Head of School Nathalio Gray said in a statement provided to The Post.
Gray added that The Branson School “supports and commends all of the athletes for their performances” at the North Coast Meet of Champions of California finals — which determines which high schoolers will advance to the state track and field championships.
The apparent misunderstanding came after a group of protestors showed up to the high school meet with a banner reading “Protect female sports” and were removed by security, according to images and video posted by ICONS — which repeatedly misgendered the trans student.
It’s unclear if the protestors had any affiliation with the students or high schools competing or simply targeted the sporting event because a transgender teen was competing.
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One parent was upset with the protestors and said their banner was “f–king offensive” and “disgusting,” according to the video posted by another group against trans women competing in women’s sports.
“It shouldn’t even f–king matter. And it’s none of your business what someone else does,” the woman yelled at the protestors, the footage posted by the “WomenAreReal” group.
One student, however, appeared to silently give a high five to the protestors and some parents said they were too afraid to speak out against trans girls competing against cis girls in sports, according to the Daily Mail.
The social media back-and-forth over the California students’ competition marks an escalation in the debate over trans women and girls competing in women’s and girls’ sports — from a focus on specific professional trans athletes to young trans high schoolers.
For instance, ICONS has named multiple trans teenagers on its Twitter while bashing them for competing in girls’ sports, according to its Twitter page.
Last month, the Biden administration released a proposal that would bar schools from banning transgender athletes outright as Republican-led states have attempted to forbid them from competing in sports that align with their gender identities.
As the nation continues to debate transgender athlete rights, transgender youths have been plagued with high suicide rates, according to a 2022 national survey on mental health conducted by LGBTQ advocacy group The Trevor Project.
The survey found more than nearly one in five transgender and nonbinary youths attempted suicide in the past year. However, suicide rates decrease when trans and nonbinary youth live and go to school in communities that are accepting of LGBTQ people.
