Ramapo College of New Jersey is facing backlash as a transgender swimmer, Meghan Cortez-Fields, shattered a women’s school record after previously competing on the men’s team for three years, reports the NY Post.
During a recent meet in Pennsylvania, Cortez-Fields won first place in the 100-yard butterfly, clocking in at 57.22 seconds, outdoing the previous record set in 2017. The senior from College Station, Texas, also secured victory in the 200-yard individual medley at the Cougar Splash hosted by Misericordia University. While the college initially celebrated Cortez-Fields’ achievement on Instagram, they promptly deleted the post amid backlash from critics.
Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer-turned-activist, criticized Cortez-Fields’ transition to the women’s team, claiming she went from being a
“below-average male swimmer”
to a
“record breaker”
against female competitors.
“Those who choose to remain blind to the injustice of allowing mediocre male athletes to become record-breaking female athletes are either incompetent or misogynists. There is no in between anymore,”
Gaines added in an interview with Fox News.
Ramapo College, however, came to Cortez-Fields defense, saying the school follows NCAA‘s protocols and that it
“supports all of our student athletes.”
“There are strict measures that the NCAA makes trans athletes go through. You have to meet certain criteria to show that you are able to, as a trans athlete, compete with women,”
a spokeswoman said.
“We are an affiliate member of the NCAA. We are in compliance. We have done everything the NCAA says needs to be done regarding trans athletes competing on the team. All of the steps were taken, and documentation was provided for approval of Meghan’s participation.”
Ramapo’s swimmer faces a similar controversy as the University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas’ who also received hate following her success last year. She too emerged victorious in swim meets after participating on the men’s team for three years.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
