The Washington Huskies women’s volleyball team withdrew a scholarship extended to a prospect following revelations that the individual in question was biologically male. Originally, the Huskies intended to award 16-year-old Tate Drageset one of their limited D1 scholarships actually meant for exceptional female athletes.
However, things changed when the Huskies learned that Drageset was biologically male and only later on began identifying as a female. The topic of transgender individuals playing women’s sports has been highly controversial. There have been multiple cases of women getting injured while playing against transgender athletes. Transgender individuals also have a clear physical advantage against their female counterparts simply because of the superior power and stamina possessed by the male body.
Drageset’s Family Had Put In A Lot of Efforts to Keep The Truth Hidden
Apparently, Drageset’s family had gone to great lengths to conceal his true identity from the public.
In 2015, Stacey, Tate’s mother, published a book advocating for children to embrace “their authentic selves regardless of where they fall on the gender spectrum.” Drageset has grown up in a family that passionately embraces the LGBT worldview.
Drageset’s Physical Attributes Give Him An Unfair Advantage in Women’s Volleyball
Reduxx, an anti-trans activism website, pointed out that Drageset’s physical attributes put him at a clear advantage over other female competitors at the high school level.
According to Reduxx, “When compared to same-height female athletes within his volleyball club, Drageset’s standing reach, vertical jump, and other key physical metrics are all more favorable.”
No Biological Male Goes Through The Same Kind of Development as A Biological Female
Kim Jones, the co-founder of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) pointed out, “No male is ever going to go through female development. Their bodies are not comparable in thousands of ways.”
Jones added, “Puberty blockers do not remove predicted adult height and males have a 5 or 6 inch advantage that influences athletic performance particularly in sports like volleyball.”
Children Born Biological Males Retain The Athletic Advantages of the Male Body
A literature review published by Dr. Gregory A. Brown and Dr. Tommy Lundberg, pointed out that children who are born biological males retain the athletic advantages of the male body even when they are placed on puberty blockers and hormones.
The researchers stated that “the current evidence suggests that male children retain sex-based advantages in body height and lean body mass which may allow for retained male athletic advantages.”
Height of the Volleyball Net
Jones also pointed out the fact that in women’s volleyball, the net is set more than seven inches lower than it is set in men’s volleyball.
This difference in net height is due to the fact that males are typically six inches taller on average than females. Males are also able to vertically jump at least 20% higher than their female counterparts of the same height.
Males Outperform Females in Sports
Brown and Lundberg wrote, “Overall, by mid-puberty, males outperform comparably aged, gifted, and trained females by 10-60%.”
Brown and Lundberg added, “depending on the sport, with the smallest differences in running and swimming and the largest differences in weightlifting and baseball pitching.”
Injury Caused by Biological Males Playing on Female Teams
It is clear that biological males have a clear advantage in sports when competing against biological females.
There have also been multiple cases of female athletes getting injured while playing with or against transgender athletes.
Riley Gaines Criticized The Huskies
The Huskies quickly withdrew their offer when Riley Gaines, a former competitive swimmer, criticized their offer. Gaines wrote, “Male takes women’s volleyball scholarship at @UW … a soon-to-be Big 10 school. Stealing the already few opportunities for women at the collegiate level. How can he be proud?”
Gaines added, “@UWVolleyball should rescind the scholarship if they really care about women. He can play with the men.”
Gaines Gave Credit to the Huskies for Rescinding Their Offer
Gaines took to X to give credit to Huskies when they withdrew their offer. Gaines wrote, “It’s alleged that @UWVolleyball rescinded the scholarship from the male vying to play with the women. Sources say the coaches had NO idea he is a male. He and his family concealed his sex throughout the entering recruiting process.”
Gaines added that this move shows “The power of public opinion & accountability.”
Drageset Was Regarded as A Star Player in Women’s Volleyball
Before the controversy gained public attention, Drageset had already made a name for himself in women’s volleyball where he was being heralded as a rising star.
Drageset had showcased his athletic prowess and dominance by leading two American volleyball teams across different age groups to national titles.
Awards and Accolades Conferred Upon Drageset
Drageset was also given the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award at the Girls Junior National Championships.
Drageset also won the California Interscholastic Federation’s Division 5 Player of the 2022-23 Year title.
Drageset’s Transgender Status was Kept Hidden
It has been reported that neither coaches and opposing players nor the parents of other students knew anything about Drageset’s biological sex.
According to a source, who happens to be the parent of a player within the Southern California Volleyball Association (SCVA) community, there were suspicions because Drageset’s performance significantly surpassed that of his female counterparts.
At 12 Years of Age Drageset Was Already Playing Against 14 Year Old Females
Even when Drageset was 12 years old, he was comfortably able to play against 14 year old females.
The source said, “You could tell even back then that he was different from the girls.”
Suspicions Grew Over Time
The source explained that parents were suspicious about Drageset. According to the source, “As he got older, it became more obvious that something was off. Anytime the subject of [Drageset] would come up EVERY PARENT from any SCVA team already knew about him.”
The source added, “Parents look around before they speak in hushed tones. Some will wait to discuss until outside the gym.”
Parents Were Scared to Speak Out
Despite the growing suspicious, parents were afraid to speak out as they feared penalties may get imposed upon their daughters if voiced their suspicions.
The source revealed, “Everyone is scared of how their child will be treated if they speak up. It’s already so competitive to get on a good club team.”
Women’s Sports is Already Hyper-Competitive
The unnamed source said, “The stealing of positions and opportunities has been infuriating and so sad when you see how it affects the girls.”
Discussing the nature of women’s sports, the source added, “There is no concern for their mental health or safety after being replaced.”
Girls Being Put At A Major Disadvantage
Marshi Smith, the co-founder of ICONS, explained how unfair it is to allow Drageset to participate in women’s sports while keeping his transgender status within wraps.
Smith said, “We know many of the girls he’s playing against do not know that they are competing against a male. There has been no consideration from his family to tell female athletes or coaches the truth. They have not been transparent, so girls are repeatedly and unknowingly put at a disadvantage and not given the chance to opt out over increased safety risks.”
Many Families Are Angry About the Situation
Many parents of female players are very unhappy about the situation. Jones said, “We also know that many local families do know and they are angry that their daughters are continuously put in a position to lose to a male player in girls’ sports.”
Jones added, “They recognize it is unfair and potentially unsafe as more instances of concussion injuries inflicted by male athletes arise.”
Stacey’s Story
In a 2016 story published with the Los Angeles Times, Stacey Drageset claimed that she knew her son was a transgender because even from a very young age he liked girl’s clothing better. Stacey doesn’t name the child in the story. She refers to him as “T.” In the story, “T” lives in the same area where Tate resides. He is also very much into volleyball. Drageset’s parents claimed that they showed the boy an interview featuring Jazz Jennings at six years of age and they allegedly got the impression that their son relates to Jennings.
Stacey also produced a film titled Trans-mission.love. The movie featured 12-year-old Tate but his face wasn’t shown clearly. The boy in the film is seen holding a volleyball with the name “Tate” written on it.
