High School Volleyball Player Injured by Trans Athlete, Calls for Ban

Last fall, a high school volleyball player from North Carolina claimed to have sustained significant and enduring physical and mental harm when a transgender athlete spiked her in the face. The transgender athlete was able to participate on a girls' team due to a policy implemented by the state's high school athletic association.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Payton McNabb, a senior at Hiwassee Dam High School in Murphy, N.C., spoke publicly for the first time about her injuries. She urged state legislators to pass the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, which would prevent biological males from participating on girls' sports teams, citing her own experience as a reason for the legislation.

"Due to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association policy of allowing biological males to compete against biological females my life has forever been changed," McNabb said on Twitter.

Watch the clip of Payton McNabb getting spiked in the face by a male competing with the women. Then watch her testimony she gave today for the first time publicly. I was honored to stand alongside her in NC to continue the fight to protect women's sports. pic.twitter.com/mvJmwprkaX

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 20, 2023

"On Sept. 1, 2022, I was severely injured in a high school volleyball game by a transgender athlete on the opposing team. I suffered from a concussion and a 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."

According to McNabb, her injuries were so severe that she couldn't participate in her final season of volleyball. Although she now plays for her school's softball team, she has not been able to perform at the level she did before due to the injuries she sustained.

"My ability to learn, retain, [and] comprehend has also been impaired, and I require accommodations at school for testing because of this."

McNabb recognized that although her athletic career is coming to a close, her decision to speak up about the incident has a greater significance.

"I'm here for every biological female athlete behind me. My little sister, my cousins, my teammates. Allowing biological males to compete against biological females is dangerous. I may be the first to come before you with an injury, but if this doesn't pass I won't be the last."