The College Fix

Sadie Schreiner says he’ll keep competing in women’s track and field

A male Rochester Institute of Technology athlete who identifies as female criticized states for prohibiting men from competing in women’s sports in a social media video this week.

Transgender student Sadie Schreiner, a biological male, competes in women’s track and field at the New York institution.

On Monday in an Instagram video, Schreiner talked about the “extra” hurdles of transferring to another college as a transgender student, Fox News reports.

“Fifty percent of the country banned me from participating and that meant I couldn’t attend any of those colleges even if they reached out to me with a full ride,” Schreiner said.

“It also became clear that states that did, no matter how adamant the coaches were to have me on their teams, the college administrations would usually stop them from allowing me to participate,” the student said.

State laws do not prohibit transgender students from attending higher education institutions in their states.

Currently, 25 states ban student athletes from participating on sports teams with members of the opposite sex. As a result, scholarships, competitions, awards, and titles like the ones Schreiner are seeking can only be awarded to female students in women’s sports and male students in men’s sports.

Schreiner, however, believes that is unfair.

“Trans people are actively getting attacked right now, and our rights are getting stripped away, and those in power are either endorsing this or they’re just letting this happen. But we’re not going anywhere,” Schreiner said.

Schreiner plans to compete in women’s sports again this year.

“I’m not going anywhere, and I’m sure come this January, you’ll see me again competing on the track,” the student said.

Last January, the athlete drew national controversy after breaking two women’s track and field records at Rochester Institute of Technology, The College Fix reported.

Then in March, Schreiner beat seven women in the 200-meter dash at the All-Atlantic Regional Championships for indoor track, The Fix reported at the time.

Schreiner ran the race in 25 seconds. He would have been the slowest runner had he competed against his own sex.

The male athlete’s participation prompted concerns from female athletes, parents, and other university leaders, including Houghton University President Wayne Lewis.

“Biological males’ participation in women’s athletics is wrong,” the New York university president said in March.

Lewis, whose university is Christian, said more people need to speak up to prevent female athletes from being “humiliated, silenced, and robbed of hard-earned opportunities.”

A group of female athletes are suing the National Collegiate Athletic Association, alleging its transgender participation policies violate equal opportunities for women under Title IX.

MORE: ‘Enough is enough:’ University president rips males in female sports

IMAGE: Sadie Schreiner/Instagram

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