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What is the trans athlete controversy at Roanoke College? Everything about the issue that outraged Riley Gaines, Martina Navratilova and others
Virginia's Roanoke College has come into the news after a transgender athlete was allowed to join the women's swimming team.
A trans student, reportedly a former top-10 male swimmer, decided to join the women's team after sitting out the previous season while transitioning. This led to the entire women’s team voicing their discontent and holding a press conference. They stated that they felt cheated and abandoned.
This news spread like wildfire as it is pretty similar to Lia Thomas' case, the swimmer who became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship last year.
Trans athlete controversy at Roanoke College: What did the protesting students say?
The majority of the protests were led by Kate Pearson, Lily Mullens, and Bailey Gallagher, the three captains of the swim squad.
Kate Pearson, captain of the sophomore team, told the Daily Mail that the whole situation was a "hot mess" and that it led to her having sleepless, tears-filled nights.
"It was just a hot mess - I was like, what is happening. We kept getting put in these situations, and it was so stressful, and every single night we were discussing this through, discussing that," she said.
"I was going to bed at 3am just thinking about it, thinking what could happen, what couldn't happen, constantly stressed, crying just all the time. Every single day. We just could not get a break from it - and we have studies. There's no blueprint for this, which is also why we want to stand up and get our voices heard," she added.
Bailey, captain of the senior team, said that she was initially supportive of the swimmer transitioning but was later blindsided when the transitioned athlete decided to compete in the women's team.
"I never expected to be blindsided by a team-mate from the men’s team who now wanted to compete against me and my fellow swimmers and shatter our records," the 21-year-old told The Telegraph.
Riley Gaines and Martina Navratilova express outrage at Roanoke College's trans athlete controversy
Of the many people who expressed outrage at Roanoke College's trans athlete controversy, former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines and tennis great Martina Navratilova were two of them.
Gaines criticized Roanoke College and praised the college's female athletes for fighting against the inclusion of a transgender athlete. Similarly, former World No. 1 Navratilova praised the female athletes for standing up against the inclusion of a transgender athlete in the women's team.
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