Staff Reports
You won’t believe the latest controversy in the world of women’s swimming! A transgender swimmer from Ramapo College of New Jersey, Meghan Cortez-Fields, has set a new women’s school record in the 100-yard butterfly. But here’s the catch – she’s been competing on the men’s team for three years and only joined the women’s team this season. Talk about unfair advantage!
Trans swimmer Meghan Cortez-Fields sparks controversy after breaking NJ college women’s record https://t.co/eqV3jurUsI pic.twitter.com/5Wog059WkK
— New York Post (@nypost) November 23, 2023
Cortez-Fields, originally from College Station, Texas, also nabbed first place in the 200-yard individual medley at the Cougar Splash hosted by Misericordia University. And the school, of course, initially celebrated her victory on Instagram, but quickly deleted the post after facing backlash from critics who called foul play on her record-breaking win.
Critics, like former collegiate swimmer-turned-activist Riley Gaines, called out Cortez-Fields for transitioning from a “less than mediocre male swimmer to a record smasher competing against the women.” Gaines didn’t hold back, saying that anyone who supports allowing male athletes to dominate female sports is either incompetent or a misogynist. Ouch!
Even the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) weighed in, accusing Cortez-Fields of wiping a woman’s name from the record books. And the cherry on top? The University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas, another transgender swimmer, caused a stir last year after crushing the competition in women’s meets post three years on the men’s squad.
Yet, instead of standing up for fairness and women’s sports, Ramapo College defended Cortez-Fields, claiming they followed NCAA policies and fully support all their student athletes. They argued that the NCAA has strict measures for transgender athletes and that Cortez-Fields went through all the necessary steps to compete on the women’s team.
But the most outrageous part? The school deleted the Instagram post not to acknowledge the controversy or address concerns but because a student wanted to “protect their teammate from insulting comments.” It’s like they’re more concerned about hurt feelings than fairness in sports!
So, what’s the real deal here? Is it fair for transgender athletes to suddenly dominate women’s sports? Or does it spell the end of fair competition for female athletes? You decide, but the game of women’s sports is certainly making waves, and not all of them are in the water!
