A transgender girl on a Long Island high school’s track team has ignited fierce debate over fairness in sports — and whether the district could lose all of it federal funding under a recent White House order.
The controversy centers around a 6-foot, 14-year-old freshman on the girl’s varsity track team at William Floyd High School in Shirley.
The unidentified student has “socially transitioned” to female, meaning she is not on hormone treatment and retains biologically male characteristics but identifies as a girl, according to the South Shore Press.
Her presence since joining the team in March for the spring season has split the community and sparked multiple rallies both in support of and against her participation on the girls team.
“I say let her run,” said Genesis Alfaro, a senior on William Floyd’s varsity flag-football team, to The Post.
But foes, while saying they have no hate toward the LGBTQ community, argue the female track participant has an unfair competitive advantage as a biological male.
“It’s wrong. It’s not about hate, it’s about fairness,” said a parent in the district who asked not to be identified. “Imagine you practice, practice, practice, and then this kid comes along who is biologically a boy and dominates because he has a physical advantage. It’s not fair.”
A member of the school’s girls varsity track team claimed that in practice, when students are supposed to be running at the same pace in warm-ups, the trans student “bolts” past everyone to the front, according to the South Shore Press.
A group of student-athletes who asked not to be identified said they don’t necessarily care if a trans athlete competed with or against them but would feel uncomfortable if they had to share a locker room.
A parent told the outlet that the trans student had been allowed to use the girls locker room, although a plastic sheet was used to separate the athlete from their female teammates.
The controversy over the trans athlete could cost the school district more than $13 million in federal funding, too.
In February, President Trump signed an executive order saying the government would “rescind all funds” from schools that allow trans athletes to play on teams based on their gender identity as opposed to biological sex.
“This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports,” Trump wrote in his order of schools that defy his declaration.
The potential loss in federal funding would be a massive hit to William Floyd, as the district receives more than $1,500 per student for nearly 10,000 students, according to the district budget.
Some parents of district students told the South Shore Press that they have asked local school officials to address the issue but have yet to hear back.
“The district has to make a decision: abide by federal law or continue letting a biological boy compete on a girls team,” a parent told the outlet.
The William Floyd School District did not respond to a Post request for comment.
On Monday, Rep. Elise Stefanik called for a federal investigation into another school district upstate for its “direct violation” of Trump’s order.
Under New York law, public schools in the state can’t block trans students from playing on sports teams that match their gender identity — leading to confusion and a potential crisis for districts that rely on federal funding.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office declined to comment on the issue, but state Attorney General Letitia James called Trump’s executive order “legally ineffective.
“We understand that presidential threats to withhold funding are intimidating. But they are
also beyond the president’s authority,” James told The Post on behalf of the state’s Education Department.
Last week, Trump moved to strip Maine of all its federal education funds for allowing trans athletes to play on girls teams in public schools, a move that Gov. Janet Mills is now fighting in court.
California and New York, two states with trans athlete protections, could be next on the chopping block depending on the ruling in Maine.
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