A former high school girls’ volleyball player who was injured by a trans-identifying male player pushed back Thursday on a Democrat congresswoman’s claim that trans-identifying people are not hurting people.
High school athlete Payton McNabb was seriously injured in September 2022 when a trans-identifying volleyball player spiked a ball at her head, video of the incident shows. The North Carolina player said she was knocked unconscious with a concussion and a neck injury and spent months recovering. She also missed the rest of her volleyball season.
“Just getting back from my second doctor appointment this week, a year and a half later, I’m definitely going to have to disagree. My life is forever changed because of an injury by a boy. So yeah… men have harmed women in our sports. But as long as your feelings don’t get hurt, right?,” McNabb posted Thursday on X.
Just getting back from my second doctor appointment this week, a year and a half later, I’m definitely going to have to disagree. My life is forever changed because of an injury by a boy.
So yeah… men have harmed women in our sports. But as long as your feelings don’t get… https://t.co/nhDMlEXprg
— payton mcnabb (@paytonmcnabb_) March 21, 2024
McNabb was responding to a clip of Rep. Pramila Jayapal, (D-WA) tearfully claiming that trans-identifying people are not “doing anything to harm you” during a heated clash with Republicans at a committee hearing.
“Why are you doing this? It is a tiny portion of people across the country that identify as trans, and not a single one of them is doing anything to harm you or your family,” Jayapal asked during Thursday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act.
Jayapal has a son who identifies as a transgender female.
“It is appropriate for us to have emotional responses about our children,” the congresswoman said.
Former college athlete Riley Gaines voiced her support for McNabb.
“Payton is partially paralyzed on her right side, her vision & memory are impaired, and her sports career ended prematurely because of a man posing as a woman. Democrats who deny this is happening are evil,” Gaines posted Thursday on X.
Gaines is a former University of Kentucky swimmer who tied with Lia Thomas, a man who identifies as a woman, at the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Championships. She was also forced to share a locker room with Thomas.
Payton is partially paralyzed on her right side, her vision & memory are impaired, and her sports career ended prematurely because of a man posing as a woman.
Democrats who deny this is happening are evil. https://t.co/x8pzNDmWQ9 pic.twitter.com/1sbufzcAqM
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) March 21, 2024
At Thursday’s House hearing, Representative Harriet Hageman (R-WY) referenced several videos showing injuries to female players caused by the biological males competing with them.
“What this bill does, the way that this bill resolves that is that that male volleyball player wouldn’t have been on that court to hurt the female, that male would not have been in that basketball game to hurt the female, that male would not have been in the field hockey to hurt the female had this bill been in place,” Hageman told lawmakers.