Putting on a dress don’t make a dude a girl.
The NCAA’s Big Sky Conference has named its first transgender recipient of the “female athlete of the week” award.
June Eastwood, a biological male formerly known as Jonathan Eastwood, joined the University of Montana’s team last fall and is the first transgender athlete to join an NCAA Division I women’s running team.
Eastwood noted the controversy that comes with being a transgender athlete in women’s sports. “I didn’t want to give up doing what I love just because of who I am,” Eastwood said.
Per NCAA guidelines, Eastwood is required to take testosterone-suppressing drugs in an attempt to offset the physical advantages males have over females in sports. Still, some women have argued that the inclusion of biological males in women’s sports creates unfair competition and costs them scholarships.
Big Sky Conference on Twitter
S/O to @MontanaGrizTF’s June Eastwood the #BigSkyXC Female Athlete of the Week