A wave of controversy has swept across the Rochester Institute of Technology following a record-breaking performance by a transgender student in a women's track event.
The student, who recently transitioned from male to female, has been the subject of widespread criticism for competing in the women's division.
Sadie Schreiner, previously known as Camden, set a new record at a collegiate track and field competition at Nazareth University in New York on December 8. Schreiner outpaced her female competitors in the 300m race, finishing in 41.80 seconds.
"Schreiner reportedly competed at the same meet a year ago in the men's category of the 100m, where she came home in 19th place," the Daily Mail reported.
The record-breaking performance came at the expense of Houghton University freshman Victoria "Tori" Brewster, who finished third, and sophomore SUNY Genesco runner Brynn Mooney, who trailed Schreiner by .86 seconds to finish second.
Mooney, a member of the undefeated Honeoye Falls-Lima Girls varsity volleyball team and a scholar on the president's list at SUNY Genesco, was outpaced by Schreiner. Brewster, a standout athlete in high school, had followed in the footsteps of her father and brother to join the Houghton University track and field team.
Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer and now a women's sports activist, expressed her disapproval of Schreiner's record, arguing that it was "established by a male." Gaines had previously competed against trans-identified male swimmer and NCAA champion Lia Thomas, who dominated the female competition on behalf of the University of Pennsylvania.
"This happens a lot for something that never happens," Gaines commented on X.
Critics argue that Schreiner's 300-meter time, which would have placed her 41st in the men's category, demonstrates an unfair advantage over biological females. Gaines, in her testimony to Congress earlier this month, cited "numerous documented instances of males competing not just in women's swimming, but also in women's track, cross country, basketball, volleyball, field hockey, and other sports at all levels of competition."
Following Schreiner's victory, journalist Cindy Hoedel accused transgender competitors of "making a mockery" out of women's sports.
"Women will have to spend years getting these men's times stripped. The women who won will eventually be acknowledged in record books but will never get back the stolen experience of standing atop the podium," Hoedel stated.
Gaines, who has been vocal in her opposition to trans-identified biological males competing in women's athletics, testified before Congress as it considers the Biden administration's proposed changes to Title IX regulations to include gender identity as a protected class.
Gaines also shared her experience of sharing a locker room with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in her testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee in March 2022. Thomas sparked controversy as the first transgender athlete to win at the NCAA Championships.
"In addition to being forced to give up our awards, our titles, and our opportunities, the NCAA forced me and my female swimmers to share a locker room with Thomas, a 6'4' 22-year-old male equipped with (and exposing) male genitalia," Gaines testified.
Schreiner's victory is the latest in a growing number of instances where transgender athletes have found success in women's sports. Critics argue that these athletes, having undergone masculine puberty, possess an unfair physical advantage, as reported by experts.
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