"I may be the first to come before you with an injury, but if this doesn’t pass, I won't be the last," said Payton McNabb.
A North Carolina volleyball player told her story of sustaining significant injuries while competing against a biological male player in November of 2022 to the state’s legislature, urging lawmakers to protect women in sports like herself.
Payton McNabb of Cherokee County, North Carolina, told lawmakers that she suffered a concussion and neck injury, among other injuries, after the biological male on the opposing team spiked a ball into her face.
According to the Daily Mail, HB 574, or the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, passed the House on Wednesday, with the bill being approved by the Senate on its first reading on Thursday. The bill has been referred to a Senate committee for further study.
"Allowing biological males to compete against biological females is dangerous," she told lawmakers, joined by former University of Kentucky swimmer and women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines.
"I may be the first to come before you with an injury, but if this doesn’t pass, I won’t be the last," she added.
The incident occurred in November of 2022, during a Hiwassee High School volleyball game against Highlands High School. A biological male hit the ball, striking McNabb in the face and knocking her unconscious.
McNabb told lawmakers that she was "severely injured" during the game, suffering a concussion and neck injury "that to this day I am still recovering from."
"Other injuries I still suffer from today include impaired vision, partial paralysis on my right side, constant headaches, as well as anxiety and depression."
"I was unable to play the rest of my last volleyball season, and although I am currently playing softball I know I am not performing as well as I have in the past, because of my injury," she added.
McNabb said her academic performance has suffered as a result of these injuries, and now needs "accommodations at school for testing."
McNabb added that she was not able to "learn, retain, comprehend" like before.
"I could go on and on about how this has affected my life. But I’m not here for that. I’m not here for me, because for me, I know that my time playing is coming to an end. I am here for every biological female athlete behind me," she said.
Referencing North Carolina law which forbids discrimination and says everyone should be able to compete fairly on a level playing field, McNabb said, "Having to compete against biological males is not a level playing field."
The bill would prevent biological males from competing in women’s sports, with an exception made for co-ed teams.
The North Carolina Bill comes as the US House has passed a similar bill, the Protecting Women and Girls in Sport Act of 2023. Despite its passing in the House, it is unlikely to pass the Democrat-controlled Senate, with the White House stating that Biden would veto the bill if it reaches his desk.
It also comes as the Biden administration has proposed changes to Title IX, blocking overarching bans of biological males in women’s sports in federally funded public schools.
Instead of an overarching ban, schools would have to take into consideration the grade level, type of sport, and competition level before enacting an individual sport ban.
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