During a Connecticut high school track competition in 2019, Selina Soule ran in the 55-yard dash for one of two spots that would have qualified her for a chance to advance to the New England regionals.

The top two qualifying spots, however, went to transgender athletes - biological boys who identify as girls. Frustrated and demoralized, Selina and three of her fellow female athletes filed a lawsuit last year with Alliance Defending Freedom against the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference which allows biological males to compete in girls’ and women’s sports.

Selina’s mother, Bianca Stanescu, says that whatever you believe about gender identity in general, biology is what matters in athletics, not a person’s identity. Gender identity, she explained, can be changed but sex is embedded in our DNA and cannot be changed, which is reflected in lung capacity and bone density.

Stanescu also believes that women’s sports were created to give girls a fair chance at competition and that girls deserve the same opportunity as boys to excel, advance to that next level of competition, win and to stand on the victor’s podium. But allowing boys to compete in girls’ sports shatters girls’ dreams and denies them equal opportunities.

Selina has also voiced her feelings on transgender athletics. In an opinion piece, she said she lost four women’s state championship titles, two all-New England awards, and numerous other spots to male runners. Every time she walked up to the starting line, Selina said she tried to convince herself that she could overcome the unfair odds.

As a student-athlete, Selina feels that the Connecticut policy has harmed girls by robbing them of the chance to race in front of college scouts and compete for the scholarships and opportunities that come with college recruitment. When colleges looked at her record, she said they didn’t see the fastest girl in Connecticut, they saw a second- or third-place runner.

Last week Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that bans transgender girls and women from playing on public school teams intended for student-athletes born as girls. During the signing at Jacksonville’s Trinity Christian Academy, a video was shown of Selina’s quest for justice and a level playing field.

“Girls are going to play girls sports, boys are going to play boys sports,” DeSantis said during the signing.

Florida’s “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” establishes that women’s sports from middle school through college, including intramurals and club teams, are closed to males based on the biological sex listed on a student’s birth certificate. In explaining his action, DeSantis said that Florida sports provides young girls with opportunities that last a lifetime and it’s vital that the integrity of those competitions are preserved and protected. Students who feel they have been deprived by an athletic opportunity as a result of a violation against the law will have a right to civil remedies.

Since 2013-14, about 11 transgender athletes have applied under the Florida High School Athletic Association’s participation policy, which allows students to petition to play sports regardless of the gender listed on their birth certificate. The Sunshine State is not alone in changing policy. Conservative lawmakers in more than 20 states have introduced legislation to ban or limit transgender athletes from competing on teams or sports that align with their gender identity.

Opponents and most Democrats claim the Florida bill fuels transphobia and discriminates against transgender youth.

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf, a supporter of trans rights, has vowed to veto a proposed bill that would ban transgender girls from competing in women’s school sports. Two months ago, the governor’s office released a statement regarding the bill.

“The governor has been clear - hate has no place in Pennsylvania, and that includes discrimination,” it stated. “Any legislation designed to deny opportunities to certain children is both disturbing and dangerous. Trans youth should know that they belong, that they are valued, and that their participation in school activities is welcomed.”

Transgender sports is also an international issue. Although she supports the transgender community, Anna Van Bellinghen, a Belgian weightlifter, recently criticized the International Olympic Committee for allowing a transgender female - New Zealander Laurel Hubbard - to compete in this summer’s Tokyo Games. Hubbard, born Gavin Hubbard, is considered to be a medal contender after winning a silver medal at the 2017 World Championships and gold in the over-87 kilogram competition at the 2019 Pacific Games.

Bellinghen does not reject Hubbard’s decision to transition from male to female but stated that this particular issue “feels like a bad joke” and is unfair to the sport and to the athletes. She said anyone who has trained weightlifting at a high level knows this to be true and feels that Hubbard enjoys the same advantage over the other female competitors as someone on a long-term course of steroids.

Conservatives governors like Gov. DeSantis as well as athletes like Selina Soule and Belgian weightlifter Anna Van Bellinghen should be applauded for standing up to the woke culture and protecting the integrity of girls athletics.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.