TRANSGENDER athlete Veronica Garcia has told their detractors to “get a life” after being booed at a state track championship in Washington.
The 17-year-old blew away their 400m rivals by a whole second and played a big role in their East Valley of Spokane team-mates winning the 4x100m relay race.
For the second year in a row, Garcia, the first transgender athlete in the state of Washington to win a track title, was heckled by track goers.
The Seattle Times claims scores of attendees booed when Garcia – who is permitted to compete against biological females as students in Washington state can participate in sports based on their gender identity – stood on the podium after cheering loudly for their counterparts.
That wasn’t the only backlash Garcia had to deal with as a man wearing a ‘Save women’s sports’ t-shirt – shouted: “Let go, girls!”
The man, who made his feelings known during the warm-up, also shouted: “Girls’ race!”
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Garcia fully “expected” to be hounded given the reception they received last year.
But unlike last year, they had a defiant message for the minority in attendance who targeted them.
Garcia said: “It maybe didn’t have their intended effect.
“It made me angry, but not angry as in, I wanted to give up, but angry as in, I’m going to push.
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“I’m going to put this in the most PG-13 way, I’m just going to say it’s a damn shame they don’t have anything else better to do.
“I hope they get a life. But oh well. It just shows who they are as people.”
Garcia could care less about her critics, insisting: “I’m really proud of myself.
“I did what I came to do, and that’s good enough for me.”
Garcia pipped Lauren Matthew to victory in the 400m, although their rival insisted they were the “real champion” with a homemade sign.
Garcia also had to endure a rival school wearing tees which read ‘Keep Women’s Sports Female’ before and after the 4x400m relay.
Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
