A male-born transgender athlete appears set to be awarded one of only 12 female volleyball scholarships at the University of Washington, a report finds.
Tate Drageset, a 16-year-old transgender “girl” who apparently began “transitioning” at the age of 12, made a verbal commitment to attend the school in June and will be awarded one of Washington’s Division 1 athletic scholarships, according to Reduxx.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) December 13, 2023
Drageset has already been part of several girls’ volleyball teams that made it to state championships, and this year, he was named the MVP at the Girls Junior National Championships. Drageset also won the California Interscholastic Federation’s Division 5 Player of the 2022-23 Year.
Despite the well-known accolades, what has been less well known is that Drageset is transgender and was born a male. None of his teams, schools, or volleyball associations have revealed that he is a male playing as a transgender girl.
Parents of girls that Drageset has faced on the court, though, have reportedly talked about the situation for years, with many furious that the taller, more powerful Drageset has been facing down and taking opportunities from natural-born girls for years.
But many have been afraid to speak out for fear that they would be targeted as haters and their daughters would be punished.
“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,” one parent told Reduxx. “The stealing of positions and opportunities has been infuriating and so sad when you see how it affects the girls. There is no concern for their mental health or safety after being replaced.”
Drageset’s mother, though, seems to have made a cottage industry for herself, chronicling her son’s progress as a trans girl.
According to her story published by the Los Angeles Times in 2016, Stacey Drageset claims she knew her son was transgender because when he was a small child, he liked girls’ clothing. While the story does not fully name Tate, the child in the story is called “T” and is also said to be heavily into volleyball. “T” is also from the same area Tate lives in, according to the paper’s story.
Stacey Drageset also produced a short film about Tate in 2016 entitled Trans-mission.love, a film made when Tate was only 12. According to Reduxx, Tate’s face was blurred, but the movie features the child holding a volleyball with “Tate” on it.
Tate’s mother also published a book in 2015 on the topic of gender identity aimed at children. So, it seems clear that Stacey Drageset has been promulgating transgenderism for small children since her son was only around ten years old.
Reduxx adds Tate’s volleyball performance statistics far outpace his female opponents and teammates.
“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,” Reduxx noted.
Reduxx also pointed out that male volleyball rules set the net at seven inches higher than that for girls’ volleyball. That is because male volleyball players are, on average, six inches taller than girls and far more powerful on spikes and serves. So, it isn’t surprising that Tate is overpowering all his actual female opponents.
Tate has been tearing through all opponents, and every team he has played on as a girl has effortlessly soared into championship status. However, many parents feel that Tate is cheating and that his male physique gives him a vast and unbeatable advantage.
Then there is the safety issue. Some parents worry about their daughters’ safety on the court, with the more powerful students playing against them.
The worry is justified. Only weeks ago, a father in California came forward to report that his daughter was seriously injured by a ball spiked by a transgender player during a high school volleyball game. He said the girl suffered a severe concussion and was left with blurry vision.
In 2022, another girl was seriously injured by a transgender player during a high school volleyball game in North Carolina.
In November, a Massachusetts girl had her teeth knocked out when a boy on an opposing field hockey team slashed a shot that struck her in the face with brutal force.
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