I believe that some people are born with a physical gender contrary to what their mind says they should be. I am interested in the stories of transgender people, support their desire to be who they are, read their stories, and am currently reading another.

I completely support the rights of transgender people with one exception. No one has convinced me so far that it is fair or reasonable for a person born with male genitals and the accompanying hormones to compete as a female in sports at any level. My comments are in response to your recent article about Soren Stark-Chessa, a transgender athlete winning a regional high school cross country championship in Maine (“Transgender girl makes history with victory at cross country regional,” Oct. 21). I don’t know anyone involved. My husband and I were certified USATF track officials in Maine for 25+ years until we retired a few years ago.

I can’t imagine what it would feel like to be a girl running in a cross-country meet knowing that I was going to be competing against a biological male that I had no chance of beating. Third-place winner, Haley Williams, shared her frustration well in the article.

It is none of my business whether transgender athlete has started a biological transition. No one should deny Stark-Chessa or any other transgender athlete the chance to compete in sports. But it should not be against females.

If Soren identifies as female, I have no problem with that. I hope she is successful in everything she does. But I can’t believe it feels fair to win this way. I would love to see a forum where people could discuss this issue in person.

Donna Runnels

Burnham

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