A transgender teen athlete fired back at critics whose boos surged from the crowd after she crushed the competition at a girl’s state track championship in Washington.
When 17-year-old Verónica Garcia thundered across the finish line in the Class 2A 400-meter dash, she clocked an impressive 55.70 seconds.
The scoreboard confirmed it, and her smile said the rest. But the reaction from the stands was a jarring mix of applause and boos – mostly the latter.
The East Valley, Spokane runner – a biological male – has heard it all before. Last year, as the transgender teen athlete surged down the straightaway on her way to her first state title, the jeers rang out.
This year was no different.
‘Save women’s sports’
During the medal ceremony, other athletes were met with roaring cheers from the audience, many who wore shirts reading “Save Women’s Sports.”
One heckler near the starting blocks repeated chants of “let’s go girls!” in a pointed effort to discredit Garcia’s presence.
And when Garcia’s name echoed through the stadium speakers as the 400-meter champion, the air turned cold – a chorus of boos cut through the celebration.
“I’ll be honest, I kind of expect it,” Garcia, now a two-time state champion in the girls’ 400-meter, told the Seattle Times following her end of May win.
‘Made me angry’
Insisting that the jeers have no effect on her, Garcia said: “But 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.
🚨A male student has won the Girls 400m Dash 2A at the Washington State Track and Field Championships in Tacoma.
Donovan Brown, also known as Veronica Garcia, was booed by the audience after being announced as the winner of the race. pic.twitter.com/jS5B3YLL5x
— REDUXX (@ReduxxMag) May 31, 2025
“One of the things that Martin Luther King always pointed out is that you have to do what’s right. Even if there comes risk, you still have to do what’s right.”
‘Don’t want a man pushing me’
While Garcia celebrated her hard-fought victory, second-place finisher Lauren Matthew – who had a time of 56.75 seconds – voiced frustration not just at the result but at the rules that allowed it.
“I shouldn’t have to push myself to the point of where I’m about to, like, die in order to win,” Matthew told the Spokesman-Review.
“I know I’m gonna push myself to keep going, but I don’t want a man pushing me to have to go,” the athlete said, adding fuel to an already divisive debate over the fairness of transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports.
“He is booed”
Advocates of sex-based categories argue that the physical advantages of male puberty – even when mitigated by hormone treatment – create an unlevel playing field, while others insist that the fight for inclusion is just as important.
And as expected, Garcia’s victory sparked a wave of criticism online with netizens misgendering the athlete, suggesting she does not belong.
“Look at the girls on the podium when the rightful champ, Lauren Matthew, is announced vs when the boy who stole her state title is announced,” tweets Riley Gaines, a former swimmer, known for campaigning against trans women in women’s sports.
The activist, who added a clip of the podium and audience reaction, continued, “She is applauded. He is booed.”
Update from Lauren Matthew, the real state champ!🏆
XX≠XY https://t.co/XvC9iVbu4S pic.twitter.com/RHoh44uJYO
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) May 31, 2025
A second writes, “Boy pretending to be a girl, Veronica Garcia, cheats in the girls’ 400m at the 2a Washington State Championship meet…Lauren Matthew, a girl, was robbed of her rightful win.”
A third netizen presented a solution: “Can we give transgenders their own category so we can stop this, they don’t belong going vs women. Period.”
Shooting down the suggestion, another fumed: “NO!!!! They should play men!!! They do not deserve their own category. They are average athletes at best that want a champion first place trophy and they absolutely in no way deserve one.”
‘Get a life’
Addressing the naysayers, Garcia insists she belongs.
“I’m really proud of myself. I did what I came to do, and that’s good enough for me,” the track star said. “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.”
After the meet, Gaines shared an image of Matthew at the stadium, holding a sign, claiming her victory as a “real girl.”
What’s clear is that Garcia is not backing down – and neither are the voices on both sides of the debate.
As the rules evolve and more athletes like Garcia take the field, school sports continue to add to the ever-evolving conversation about gender, identity, and fairness.
What are your thoughts on transgender women competing in women’s sports? Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story so we can get the conversation started!
