Family of skier protests after Trans skier wins California women’s race

A trans woman has emerged as the state champion in a high school ski race in California-Nevada, sparking a debate about fairness in sports.

June Watterson, a sophomore at Davis Senior High School, secured the top spot in the women’s slalom race at the California-Nevada Interscholastic Ski & Snowboard Federation (CNISSF) state finals.

While her victory was celebrated by many, it also drew criticism from the father of one of her competitors, who argued that individuals who have gone through male puberty should not compete against girls.

Watterson’s impressive performance in the women’s heat, where she finished with a combined time of 1:08.29, solidified her first-place position, outpacing the second-place finisher Carlie Chandler by a remarkable 17 seconds.

“State Champion. Feels unreal. All those days of training hard paid off, and I couldn’t be happier with the result! I just want to thank my team, who have all supported me so much this season. All my coaches are amazing, and I’m so proud of my lovely teammates! It’s taken a lot of work and dedication for us to get here, but we did it! Individual state champions in both women’s and men’s (congrats Lukas!), women’s team state champion, 3rd place men’s team, and 3rd overall. This season has been a crazy one but we ended on a high note, I love you all!” – she captioned the victory celebration on social media.

 

However, the concerned parent who spoke exclusively to DailyMail expressed his apprehension about allowing trans athletes to compete against cisgender girls.

‘Speaking for parents of female athletes, are we just expected to ‘come to terms’ with this? No amount of hormone therapy or re/deconstructive surgery will change the biological muscular and skeletal differences between those born with XX and those born with XY chromosomes,’ he said.

‘The assumption is that when my daughter competes in the women’s division, she competes against other females. She is not in a co-ed or open division.’

‘It’s one thing to read about these things happening in other places and quite another to witness it first-hand. This injustice to young women cannot continue anywhere, especially not on my doorstep.’

Watterson, who has been open about her transition on social media, continues to navigate the complexities of competing in different sports.

Recently, she participated in men’s cycling and women’s skiing events, leading to questions about event categorization and gender identity.

 

The issue of transgender athletes competing in women’s sports has become a subject of debate across various platforms.

While organizations like the California Interscholastic Federation have implemented rules allowing transgender students to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity, critics argue that these policies can create an imbalance in competition.

The concerned father, along with other parents of female athletes, expressed their frustrations about the potential impact on women’s sports. They advocated for solutions that ensure fair competition and suggested the introduction of an open class in every sport, where gender distinctions would be less relevant.