A children's track-and-field meet in Kelowna, British Columbia, was interrupted last week when a man allegedly accused a 9-year-old girl of being transgender.
The girl competing in the track meet in Kelowna last Thursday was not transgender, but sported a pixie haircut. The day, which started out positive as the girl placed in the discus event, took a dark turn when the man began accusing her of being transgender.
The LGBTQ+ community has been thrust into political debates recently, as conservative lawmakers attempt to pass legislation limiting their rights and keeping discussion of gender identity out of schools. While President Joe Biden has defended transgender athletes' ability to compete, support for transgender athletes has declined over the past two years, regardless of political affiliation.
A recent Gallup poll found 69 percent of Americans agree that transgender athletes should play on sports teams that match their birth gender, up from 62 percent in 2021. While Republicans and Independents are more likely to take that stance, 48 percent of Democrats agree that transgender athletes should compete on sports teams that match their birth gender, an increase from 41 percent who felt that way in 2021.
The man at the Canada meet caused such a scene—even asking the girl's mother, Heidi Starr, for a certificate of proof that her daughter was female—that he was asked to leave, and the event was moved to a different area.
However, Starr said the man did not leave and continued to cause a scene.
She told Newsweek that while the man was demanding proof that her daughter was born female, his wife called her and the girl's other mother "genital mutilators", "groomers" and "pedophiles."
Starr said that the man claimed that her daughter and another girl with short hair should be disqualified from competing. The event negatively impacted Starr's daughter, who shook and cried.
"She said, 'I think I would have placed if that man hadn't shouted at me,'" Starr said.
According to a statement from the Central Okanagan School District, the man has been banned from future school events.
"The person(s) who accosted the student and family was not from one of our Central Okanagan Public Schools. In response, the District has worked with other local schools to identify the person(s) and we are taking steps to formally ban them from any District property or events," Superintendent of Schools and CEO Kevin Kaardal told Newsweek in a statement.
"The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, which includes protecting human rights and ensuring safe, inclusive places to learn and work. We expect that adults who are invited to celebrate student success govern their behavior and conduct themselves with civility and respect."
Starr filed a report with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after the incident.
Newsweek reached out to the man accused of making the comments through a Facebook messenger request.
Criticism toward the LGBTQ+ community has intensified over the past months. It was further fueled in April after transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney partnered with Bud Light. Since the partnership, boycotts have been imposed on several companies that have been outspoken in social-justice issues, such as in the LGBTQ+ community. Target, Hershey's, Kohl's and others have all been subject to boycotts.
June is Pride month, which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, and protests targeting the community have spread across the United States.
Over the weekend, people criticized a Pride event that took place on the White House lawn on Saturday. A transgender influencer who attended the event went viral for posing topless at the White House, a move that earned condemnation from the Biden administration. Earlier this month, a Pride flag displayed outside an elementary school in California was burned and is now being investigated as a hate crime.
For Starr, the Kelowna track-and-field incident should also be classified as a hate crime.
"This is absolutely a hate crime," she said. "It is a direct result of this right-wing propaganda that has become so rampant in our media."
Update: 6:42 p.m. EDT—This article has been updated with additional context.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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