A man who believes he is a woman is set to compete in the women’s USA Olympic trials later this month, according to The Daily Caller.
The man, Megan Youngren, was announced by Sports Illustrated as “making history” by being the first “transgender” athlete to compete in the Olympic marathon trials. He qualified after “a strong performance” in the California International Marathon in December.
In the interview, Youngren rebuked claims that he was at an unfair advantage due to being a man, saying “what about the 500 other women who will qualify?” He then claimed that he “trained hard” and “got lucky” on his quest to qualify for the Olympics.
With a rise in men claiming to be transgender and participating in women’s sports, there has been increased backlash from actual women who believe that this practice will destroy women’s sports. As previously reported, a group of female high school track athletes and their families have sued the Connecticut school system to stop male athletes from competing against them as “transgenders,” and a number of states are considering legislation to keep such athletes in the sports of their actual gender.