HARRISON COUNTY, WV — Five middle school students have been excluded from future track and field events after protesting the participation of a transgender athlete in a recent competition.
The incident has escalated to the national level, with West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey appealing to the US Supreme Court to revisit the issue of transgender student-athlete bans.
On April 18, during a shot put event at a track meet, five girls from Lincoln Middle School chose not to compete in protest against competing alongside Becky Pepper-Jackson, a 13-year-old transgender athlete.
Pepper-Jackson, who is currently undergoing hormone therapy, won the event. Following their protest, the students were barred from participating in future meets, leading to Morrisey’s legal action against the Harrison County Board of Education. This lawsuit was prompted by a recent federal appeals court decision, which stated that state laws banning transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports teams could not be applied to Pepper-Jackson.