Former high-school volleyball player Payton McNabb, who suffered severe injuries in a match against a transgender athlete in 2022, lambasted Democratic lawmakers for downplaying the harm caused by transgender women in sports, Fox News reports.
Men in women's sports haven’t harmed anyone??
I imagine @paytonmcnabb_ would disagree!
This bill is about safety and fairness. How many more female athletes will be injured by men before the anti-women Democrats wake up? pic.twitter.com/uTZFYNzaOz
— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) March 21, 2024
Responding to Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s dismissal of concerns during a House Judiciary Committee meeting, McNabb stated on X, ‘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?’
The contentious remarks came during discussions over the Equal Campus Access Act, which mandates public universities to recognize religious student groups to receive federal aid, forming part of H.R. 7683.
Jayapal’s sentiments, dismissing the issue as minor, contrast starkly with McNabb’s real-life struggles post-injury.
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
In a further clash of views, Rep. Jerry Nadler declared, ‘men do not compete in women sports,’ before the committee passed H.R. 7187, barring biological men from competing on women’s sports teams. McNabb retorted to Nadler’s assertions, stating, ‘Come on now, Jerry, you know that ain’t true! Everyone can see right through your delusion.’
These exchanges highlight a broader ideological divide within Congress, with Republican-led efforts aimed at safeguarding women’s sports facing staunch opposition from Democrats.
Rep. Greg Steube, sponsor of H.R. 7187, denounced the Democrats’ stance, asserting, ‘the Democrats don’t care about protecting women – they care more about appeasing the radicals of their party and enabling the erasure of women’s sports.’
McNabb’s injuries in the 2022 volleyball game, inflicted by a transgender athlete, resulted in long-term physical and mental repercussions. Riley Gaines, a former competitive swimmer, echoed McNabb’s sentiments, denouncing Democratic denial of the issue as ‘evil.’ The bills, both passed in committees, now await consideration by the full GOP-led House.
