Parents of high school girls' track and field athletes are crying foul over a pair of transgender athletes who swept the competition at the Connecticut state track and field championships.
Terry Miller, a sophomore at Bulkeley High School, took first place in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Andraya Yearwood, a sophomore at Cromwell High School, took second in the 100-meter dash.
According to the Hartford ABC affiliate, Miller’s and Yearwood’s successes prompted Bianca Stanescu to create a petition, asking for limitations on transgender athletes in state competitions.
Terry Miller of Bulkeley wins the 100m girls dash i. 11.72 (meet record). Andraya Yearwood of Cromwell 2nd, RHAM’s Bridget Lalonde 3rd #cttrack pic.twitter.com/4GmLRyicDI
— GameTimeCT (@GameTimeCT) June 4, 2018
Stanescu has asked the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference to only allow male-to-female transgender athletes to compete with girls if they undergo testosterone suppression treatment and wait a certain period.
"It makes a difference no matter what anybody says," Stanescu said, noting that if her suggestion isn’t taken up, the CIAC should follow college rules. "They could run with the girls if it's an individual sport, however, their scores count toward male athletes.”
Stanescu admits that the issue is complex. “It’s complicated and it's bigger than anybody realizes at this point in time,” Stanescu said.
Miller and Yearwood did not dominate in all the events they competed in at state. Yearwood finished seventh in the 200-meter dash. Miller, in addition to her two wins, also ran the 400-meter race and finished fourth.
Stanescu has reportedly gotten about 60 people to sign her petition.
