Original subtitles

um hi I've never spoken to this many

people so I'm a little nervous but I'm

also excited and really happy about this

opportunity um my name is H Wilson and

I'm 14 years old and I am a freshman for

the eastm school

district um in May of this year I ran in

the cashmere Junior Olympics the Junior

Olympics are a regional track meet for

junior high athletes who plays first or

second throughout the track season um so

it's a pretty big deal it is basically

the championships for our

area

sorry I'm sure most of you have heard

that at the Junior Olympics I raced

against a transgender athlete in the

1600 meter race I had heard of this

happening around her country but I never

expected to encounter it

firsthand um when all all the runners

had lined up to race I noticed that this

athlete was built very differently than

all of the other girls but I didn't

think much of

it um because we were on the starting

line and we were about to

race it wasn't until we were on the

podium that I heard the commotion of

upset adults and

kids um that is when I heard that the

athlete that was standing next to me on

the first first place Podium was a

biological

boy my heart sank and I felt extremely

discouraged I felt like all my hard work

that I had put in throughout the year

didn't mattered and that um it was just

going to be

forgotten um my family and I spoke up

about how unfair this was we didn't

speak up about unfair was because I

didn't get first and didn't win we spoke

up because Boys Racing against girls at

this level of competition isn't right

and it isn't

fair all of

those all those biological girl sitting

up there next to me had worked just as

hard as I had throughout the entire

season

but at that moment our hard work and

talent did not

matter a coach on the transgender

athletes team had heard my group of

friends voicing their concerns and

frustration about how unfair this

was they told my group of friends that

if they were going to complain they need

to go somewhere else and do

it hearing this was devastating to me

and my friends it felt like we were

being told to shut up stop complaining

and just deal with it

and this is why I'm speaking of our

female athlete voices need to be heard

because we are the ones that this is

personally

affecting um going through this

experience has been incredibly hard

adults have attacked my family and me

for speaking up for fairness and

protection of biological girls in sports

my family and I have been told by adults

that we are transphobic that I am a sore

loser and that I value winning more than

a human

life we have also been told that it will

be our fault and that we will be the

ones responsible if this transgender

athlete takes their

life and then I was told that I am

simply just not good enough and that's

why I play second

um but I feel like the same people who

are attacking female athletes for

speaking up do not care about the mental

tolls and

struggles this is also taking on female

athletes these words have affected me

and it has hurt tremendously to hear all

of these things because me and my family

are some of the kindest people who

strive to love everyone and do what is

right I have had severe anxiety Y and

panic attacks as I have been trying to

prove to those who say I am not good

enough by training even harder What

hurts the most is that no matter how

hard I train or how hard I push myself

the likelihood of beating a boy is

Slim I have learned so much going

through this experience my biggest

takeaway is that allowing boys to

compete in girls Sports isn't working

and it is not

fair um it isn't fair and it isn't

working for biological girls and it

isn't fair and it isn't working for

transgender

athletes thank

you no matter where you stand failing to

protect woman's Sports is

wrong so much hate and conflict has come

from both sides the things I have heard

about this transgender athlete and me

are awful and

damaging I am only 14 and I shouldn't

have to deal with these kinds of adult

issues but here I

am thank you um but here I am speaking

up hoping that adults will step up and

do what is right to protect and keep

women's sports fair and safe for

biological

girls I hope we can find a solution for

all athletes to compete fairly and

safely because at 14 years old even I

can see that the current rules aren't

working for biological g girls or

transgender athletes

thank you

[Applause]