If you are a transsexual, someone that has decided to change genders for whatever reason, then that is your business. I personally don’t care. What I would like to know is what does the community think about actions such as this one.
Andraya Yearwood, who is 15 years old, was born a male. He apparently identifies as a female but has not taken any action to act on it. Other than entering female only sports events at his school in Connecticut. Now, you can probably guess the outcome already.
Yearwood is on the right in the above photo
Cromwell High School gave Yearwood permission to compete on the girls track team as he entered High School (the previous year he competed as a male on the male team) according to The Day. Yearwood is apparently ‘successful’ against the girls he raced against so far.
“Andraya’s times in the 100 and the 200 are fast. A year ago, her 11.99 in the 100 would have won the Class M title and put her second at the State Open, .01 seconds behind the winning time. And Andraya ran Wednesday in cold conditions, and without starting blocks. She is expected to get faster,” says The Hartford Courant. Continuing Yearwood said, “It feels really good. I’m really happy to win both titles,” he said. “I kind of expected it. I’ve always gotten first, so I expected it to some extent. … I’m really proud of it.”
Kate Hall, a junior at Stonington High School which competed against Yearwood and Cromwell High, spent several years being the first across the finish line in female track meets. Kate was born a female and lives and competes as such. At this years Class M meet, Hall came in second against Yearwood. Hall posted a 12.83 while Yearwood posted a 12.66.
Hall said to the Courant, “There’s not much I can do,” said Hall after coming second. “Second doesn’t work for me. Yeah, it does, in a way, for the team. But you come into a state championship meet looking to win a state title. I had an awesome chance. I could have done a lot of things (differently). If I’d run my best, I could have won it.”
Hall’s track coach, Ben Browne, stated that Hall was “emotional” about the situation.
Yearwood’s mother, Ngozi Nnaji, discussed with the Courant, “I know they’ll say it is unfair and not right,” she said. “But my counter to that is: ‘Why not?’ She is competing and practicing and giving her all and performing and excelling based on her skills. Let that be enough. Let her do that and be proud of that.”
Yearwood had this to say to the Courant, “I do hope I inspire people, but not only with track. I hope it inspires people to not hold yourself back just because you’re scared of it or it is your first time doing it, or because of other people’s negativity.”
According to The Day the The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference “defers to the determination of the student and his or her local school regarding gender identification."
Let me remind you, Yearwood has apparently not taken any steps to becoming a female other than registering with the female track team Cromwell High School. Yearwood apparently said to many sources that there were no rude comments, no verbal attacks, over the situation.