Meghan Cortez-Fields has just sparked controversy online after breaking a women’s school record last weekend. As a transgender woman, Meghan set a new record and took home first place in the 100-yard butterfly at a meet in Pennsylvania last Saturday.
Who Is Meghan Cortez-Fields?
Meghan Cortez-Fields is a transgender swimmer at a New Jersey college who recently broke a women’s school record last weekend after three years competing on the men’s team. She took first place in the 100-yard butterfly at a meet in Pennsylvania last Saturday.
Meghan Cortez-Fields Controversy
After the competition, Meghan received huge criticism after breaking records in the women’s category. Fans expressed their resentment towards the incident, calling it unfair and condemning it.
The school initially celebrated her new record in a congratulatory Instagram post but swiftly deleted it after critics started slamming Cortez-Fields’ win specifically pointing to how she had only joined the women’s team this season. However, the school said the original Instagram post was deleted by a student “who wanted to protect their teammate from insulting comments.”
Former collegiate swimmer-turned-activist, Riley Gaines, was among those to lead the outrage, posting on X that Cortez-Fields had gone from a “less than mediocre male swimmer to a record smasher competing against the women.”
Ramapo College swimmer in NJ goes from less than mediocre male swimmer to a record smasher competing against the women.
Hm, where have we seen this before? #SaveWomensSports pic.twitter.com/4py4cHokkJ
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) November 19, 2023Ramapo College, however, defended Cortez-Fields, saying the school follows NCAA policies and that it “supports all of our student athletes.”
“There are strict measures that the NCAA makes trans athletes go through. You have to meet certain criteria to show that you are able to, as a trans athlete, compete with women,” a spokeswoman said.
“We are an affiliate member of the NCAA. We are in compliance. We have done everything the NCAA says needs to be done regarding trans athletes competing on the team. All of the steps were taken, and documentation was provided for approval of Meghan’s participation.”
- Advertisement -The school said the original Instagram post was deleted by a student “who wanted to protect their teammate from insulting comments.”
“We remain concerned about the vitriol that we have seen on social media and the threats of violence against some college members. We are going to continue to post all of our team and individual athlete’s student achievements for all of our athletics programs, as we always do,” the spokeswoman added.
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