- Aayden Gallagher competed at the Oregon state championships on Friday.
- The transgender teenager is one of the five who went to the final
- Republicans have opposed her participation in the women’s category.
A transgender teenage athlete was booed as she crossed the finish line in a 400-meter race at the Oregon state championships.
Aayden Gallagher appeared to win his heat with a time of 55.25 seconds on Friday.
His performance earned him one of five places in two heats in the final taking place on Saturday.
The 10th grader placed second in both heats behind Josie Donelson, who won her heat and narrowly edged her into first place with a time of 55.04, Athletic Live reported.
Sophie Castaneda was listed in third place overall and second behind Gallagher with a time of 55.65 seconds, according to the outlet.
A transgender teenage athlete was booed as she crossed the finish line in a 400-meter race at the Oregon state championships.
Even before the victory, his participation in the race was criticized by Republican lawmakers, who called for a change in regulations after Gallagher achieved a victory during an earlier 400-meter race.
In a clip shared online, taunts could be heard in the background as Gallagher crossed the finish line.
Even before the victory, his participation in the race was criticized by Republican lawmakers, who called for a change in regulations after Gallagher achieved a victory during an earlier 400-meter race.
Oregon State Activities Association rules allow athletes to participate in a category that aligns with their gender identity without the need to provide evidence of a medical transition.
The controversy was reignited after Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer who campaigns against allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s sport, shared footage from Gallagher’s most recent race.
Gaines claimed Gallagher “dominated” his most recent series on Friday and asked, “When will we see coaches and parents standing up to this mockery?”
The activist previously brought attention to Gallagher when she shared another video of the McDaniel High School sophomore riding to victory in a race at the Sherwood Need for Speed Classic last month.
Gaines became an anti-trans activist after tying for fifth place with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in a 2022 swim meet. However, Thomas was awarded the trophy over Gaines.
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.
The controversy was reignited after Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer who campaigns against allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s sport, shared footage from Gallagher’s most recent race.
Gaines claimed Gallagher “dominated” his most recent series on Friday and asked, “When will we see coaches and parents standing up to this mockery?”
OSAA CEO Peter Weber has defended the organization’s trans-inclusive policy.
“Oregon law has long prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” he wrote in a letter to his critics.
‘In 2019, the Oregon Department of Education amended its rules for defining ‘sexual orientation’ to include ‘gender identity.’ The Oregon legislature also amended the definition of “sexual orientation” to include “gender identity.”
