Oregon Female Athlete Speaks Out On Trans Competitors: 'Disheartening'

Oregon is among the states that allow males to compete in girls' and women's sports, so long as the athlete identifies as a girl or woman. Lilian Hammond, a female high school track athlete in the state who has been outspoken about trans athletes, talked to OutKick exclusively about the unfairness associated with allowing males in girls' sports.

While Hammond doesn't compete against trans athletes directly, she and members of her team -- including those competing against trans-identifying athletes -- have expressed frustration behind-the-scenes and publicly, like when Hammond helped pen an op-ed on the topic for The Oregonian. 

"We had no idea that this was happening, that this could happen in Oregon," Hammond, a junior, told OutKick. "I knew it was happening in other states, but to see it happen right before my eyes and be watching it was very shocking to me." 

Hammond said that she and her teammates were upset to see a biological male winning races in the girls' division. 

"We were all very frustrated, especially because I do know somebody who has competed against [a trans athlete] and did at the state meet as well," she said. 

"It was very disheartening to see her lose and to know that there were so many other wonderful young women who were losing to a trans athlete… [even] a lot of the guys on my team were frustrated because they were saying, 'yeah, that's totally unfair.'" 

The athlete in question is 11th-grader "Ada" Gallagher, who competes at McDaniel High School in Portland. As Fox News Digital reported, Gallagher won both the 400-meter and 200-meter dashes at the Portland Interscholastic League in the girls' division last week. 

In the 400-meter race, Gallagher beat the closest female by seven seconds and set a school record in the process. 

Gallagher won an Oregon state championship last year, leading to an Oregon track coach, John Parks, calling for Oregon to create an "open" division for transgender athletes. 

Parks was fired for even suggesting a reasonable solution to a clear problem. 

Like Parks, Hammond previously expressed her issues with allowing males to compete in girls' and women's sports. As mentioned, Hammond wrote an op-ed for The Oregonian along with Anika Thompson, a member of the University of Oregon's women's track and field team. 

The girls were responding to radical left-wing columnist Bill Oram, who wrote a ridiculous article titled, "A transgender teen athlete’s life is not your cause" for the paper. 

Hammond said she wanted to write something to bring attention to the issue of males competing in women's sports, and the op-ed wasn't just about Ada Gallagher. 

"I am trying to spread awareness… that there are more people than just Ada. It just happens to be that Ada is the only person in Oregon racing against women," she said. "I have friends from Washington that have competed against men, and so I was just… trying to help people be aware that this was not just an Oregon thing. This was an everybody thing." 

While female athletes are often attacked for speaking out about the injustice of males competing in girls' and women's sports, Hammond says the response was mostly favorable.

"I received a lot of positive support because I think it helped people realize like, oh, this is a problem… I know it helped some of my friends who are more hesitant to speak out about this," she said.

While Oregon has trans-identifying male athletes competing in, and winning titles in, girls' and women's sports, the state has so far avoided federal government intervention 

Oregon is not one of the states currently being investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services under President Donald Trump for potential Title IX violations. 

Not only does Oregon continue to ignore the executive order, they appear to be doubling-down on allowing trans-identifying males in women's sports. Last week, the Oregon Department of Education released new guidelines around sex-based sports participation. 

"Nonbinary, intersex, genderfluid, Two Spirit, and other students who do not consistently identify with the gender binary cannot be prohibited from playing on athletic teams of either gender, in alignment with Oregon nondiscrimination law," the guidelines state. 

There's also a section relating to required uniforms, where schools are forced to "develop any athletic uniform policies with consideration of the needs of gender expansive students." 

While Hammond said she was excited that President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect women's sports, she was very disappointed that her state has, so far, seemingly ignored it. 

"I was very, very happy for all of these women, but I was also so, so frustrated because Oregon has not taken a step to [follow the order]," she said. 

United States President Donald Trump, surrounded by dozens of female athletes, prepares to sign the "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order in the White House on Feb. 5, 2025. 

(Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"It's frustrating to me that Donald Trump, the President of the United States, is telling Oregon, ‘you need to change this,’ and Oregon is saying ‘we want to protect these two [trans athletes], but these two [trans athletes] are making a huge difference in girls’ sports."

Hammond said she would like to see the government get involved. 

"It's just frustrating that nothing has changed. But I would very much, and I know other women would [as well], appreciate seeing Oregon being investigated for this, because I feel like it's so obvious that this is happening, and it is so obvious that it is wrong." 

Hammond also wanted to emphasize that she's not looking to keep trans-identifying males out of sports, but they should not be allowed to compete against, and win titles over, females. 

"I do think that trans athletes should be able to compete, and they should be able to have a chance to compete, but it should not be in the opposite sex's category, because … you do not see a biological woman beating the state record holder for [men]," she said.

"We are seeing a biological man taking the state title from a woman, and I think that's just where Oregon and other states need to draw a line."