Official newspaper of elite US university Princeton comes out swinging in support of trans athletes

Princeton’s college newspaper has condemned policies that prohibit transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.

An opinion piece published in the Ivy League university’s newspaper, the Daily Princetonian, on Monday (28 October), argued that trans athletes “deserve better” at the New Jersey college and across the US.

Charlie Yale’s article claimed that Princeton has a particular issue with trans inclusion, pointing to a recent poll that showed 43.4 per cent of students support a ban on trans women in competitive sports, while just 28 per cent oppose it.

“This data reveals that Princeton students hold anti-trans beliefs,” Yale claimed. “We must admit this openly, interrogate why this is the case, and commit to ending pervasive transphobia in our community.”

They went on to condemn a number of colleges that have recently forfeited volleyball matches against San José State University because one player in the women’s team is believed to be transgender.

The player in question, who has not publicly commented on the controversy, and who PinkNews has chosen not to name, has been accused of being trans by politicians and right-wing pundits despite there being no evidence of their gender identity.

Yale, who called the matches “seemingly inconsequential”, and, citing “inflamed tensions” within the university’s diving community following the controversy around trans competitor Lia Thomas, wrote that the rhetoric against trans athletes “concerns everyone” because “it is a sign of the broader transphobic sentiment to come”.

They went on: “We must address this because Princeton, particularly, it seems, takes issue with trans athletes.

“The purpose of this article is not to deride Princeton athletics, nor do I bring any profound solutions to the table. What both students and the administration must work to change, as pointed out again and again by former Princeton wrestler AJ Lonski ’23, is the culture.”

The continued so-called culture wars over trans inclusion has continually been pushed by right-wing demagogues “in bad faith” who aim to use trans participation “as a wedge issue to demonise transgender people,” the article alleged.

“If trans women do have any athletic ‘advantage,’ it isn’t decisive: the singular out-trans NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) champion Lia Thomas was slower than the NCAA record in the 500 freestyle by over nine seconds [and] doesn’t even scratch the top-10 fastest times in women’s NCAA history.

“Thomas was a good swimmer in the men’s category but that doesn’t mean she had an unfair advantage.”

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