Transgender high school athlete Veronica Garcia, 16, was disappointed that her fellow runners didn’t cheer her on when she was awarded the gold medal during the state track and field championships last month.
‘I guess maybe I was hoping for sportsmanship because I was cheering on the rest of them when they were called. So I guess I expected to get that in return,” Garcia, formerly Antonio Brown, told Spokesman. “I did not understand that”.
She told the outlet that the boos she received at the championship in Tacoma, Washington, were “a little harsher” than usual, with one voice from the crowd even shouting, “She’s not a girl!” while García went to collect her medal.
The crowd’s reaction, Garcia said, was not a surprise, but she was “a little hurt” by the chill of her teammates, whom she applauded during and after their races.
As she walked to the podium to collect her gold, the crowd was silent and her companions did not recognize her as they stood with their hands clasped behind their backs.
Washington State runner Veronica Garcia, aka Davina Brown, aka Donovan Brown, won at the state championships last month. The athlete appears here at an event in April.
Garcia said she hoped to see more sportsmanship from her group of peers, who did not applaud her when she accepted the gold medal at the Washington state championships.
Garcia is one of several high school athletes currently at the center of the debate over biological males competing in women’s sports.
The high school student began transitioning last year and says she has since gotten a taste of “how tough we can be as a species for no reason other than being a little different.”
She said she has been intimidated by those who have made “discriminatory comments” at her, some of which invalidate her identity as a woman, according to the spokesperson.
Although he admits there are “no easy answers” when it comes to the question of whether biological men compete against women, he said he wishes those with complaints would refrain from yelling at him.
‘I’m just a teenager. It’s one thing if you want to defend whatever it is, but your message deflates when you start insulting. As soon as you start harassing transgender people, I think your message starts to fall apart.
‘At the very least, give us respect, because I think the best thing anyone can do is, even if you don’t understand why we’re transgender, the least is be nice to us. Kindness goes a long way,’ she said.
In the final race of the season, García finished with a time of 55.75, one second ahead of the first biologically female runner.
Although there was applause as the participants crossed the finish line, it was when Garcia, an 11th grader, took the podium that the boos and jeers were clearly heard.
West Valley School District’s Lauren Matthew, who placed second in the race, didn’t have the power to keep up with Garcia and crossed the finish line a second behind her with a time of 56.75.
But if Garcia, who was born a man, had run in the equivalent men’s race, he wouldn’t even have placed 16th, with the slowest guy finished in 53.12 – more than 2.5 seconds ahead of García’s time.
When the host announced Matthew’s name, all the girls cheered and applauded his respectable second place finish.
Verónica García came in first place with a time of 55.75. If she, a biological male, had been competing with boys, she wouldn’t have even placed in the top 16.
But when first place was awarded to García there was virtual silence in the stadium.
His fellow runners stood on the podium in complete silence with their hands behind their backs.
In a clear sign of disapproval, there was a stunned silence among the crowd until someone was heard shouting Veronica’s name, to which she gave a thumbs up.
It’s the latest in a string of wins for Garcia, who appears to be performing much better than when he competed on the men’s team.
Last month she finished 13th out of 152 girls at the Washington State 2A Championships after a cross country meet.
But last year, García could only occupy position 164 out of 172 in the men’s 5,000 m at a regional championship held in the fall.
Washington State Public Schools specify that all students participating in physical education and athletics may participate in the category that corresponds to their gender identity without needing to present evidence of a medical transition.
When García took the podium, there was no applause for her. Only boos could be heard from her fellow runners, all biological women who stood with their hands behind their backs.
Following Garcia’s victory, Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer who campaigns against allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s sports, took to social media.
Following Garcia’s victory, Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer who campaigns against allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s sports, took to social media and posted a video of the race.
‘Would you look at that?… what never happens happened again.
“Verónica García (Donovan Brown) just won the Washington State Championship in the women’s 400 meters in total dominance.”
Gaines became an activist after tying for fifth place with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in a 2022 swim meet. However, Thomas was presented with the trophy and celebrated, although officials were unable to offer Gaines a convincing explanation. about what was happening or why.
The Kentucky swimmer has since joined forces with a dozen college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Thursday, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing Thomas to compete in the meet.