Transgender high school athlete addresses hearing on banning trans girls from competing in sports - after destroying high jump rivals: 'I didn't join sports to be better than everyone else!'

A transgender high school athlete addressed a New Hampshire state hearing on banning trans girls from competing. 

A new bill in the state, known as SB 375, was being pored over on Monday by legislators, LGBTQ groups and educators before the state Education Committee. 

It is one of two bills in the state that would ban transgender girls from competing on sports teams aligning with their gender identity. 

Trans teen Maelle Jacques, who was born a male and previously won a girl's high jump state championship, insisted she didn't join female sports to win outright.

The 16 year-old did so despite hammering the competition during high jump tournaments, as critics insist trans girls who've gone through male puberty retain considerable biological advantages over biological females.

Jacques told the hearing: 'I'm here to testify in opposition of SB375. Throughout my entire life, sports have been an integral part to my belonging. 

Trans teen Maelle Jacques, who was born a male and previously won a girl's high jump state championship, said she didn't join female sports to win outright

In February, she won the girls' high jump at the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 state indoor track and field championship

Her testimony continued: 'Playing soccer since the age of three, when I began my transition in the sixth grade my school welcomed me onto the girls team.

'This act of being part of the team allowed me to skip through the phase of social ostracization. The other girls accepted me as who I was. 

'Being part of the team allowed me to be seen as normal, where everywhere else I could be perceived as a pariah. 

'I didn't join sports with the goal of dominating competition or being better than anyone else. 

'No one would go through the bullying and self hatred of transition purely to win a sport, especially woman's sports, which are under appreciated in our nation.

'I joined because it is something I am passionate about and enjoy. If banned from sports teams and locker rooms, joining male teams wouldn't be a choice for me.' 

In February, she won the girls' high jump at the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 state indoor track and field championship.

She finished first place with a 5'1' mark - an inch better than any of her female competitors, but way below the lowest high jump in the boys' division, which was 5'8'.

According to the Track & Field Results Reporting System , Jacques has competed in seven meets this year, earning six first-place finishes for the high jump 

Following the testimony on Monday, the Education Committee voted against the bill 19-1, and have 'politely killed it'. The State Senate of New Hampshire is seen here

According to the Track & Field Results Reporting System, Jacques has competed in seven meets this year, earning six first-place finishes for the high jump. 

Jacques is currently a freshman at Kearsarge Regional High School in Sutton, New Hampshire, and plays for their girl's soccer team.

Former NCAA swimmer and high profile advocate for the continued existence of women's sports Riley Gaines had also previously posted on X about Jacques. 

After the Independent Council on Women's Sports shared news that Jacques had won the girls state championship in February, Gaines said: 'How could the parents of this boy allow their son to cheat deserving women out of opportunities? 

'And why don't the parents of the girls stand up and say 'no' for their daughters? This country is full of failing, gutless mothers and fathers.'

Gaines tied with trans athlete Lia Thomas in the 2022 NCAA Championships, and has been an outspoken critic of allowing biological males to compete against women. 

 Riley Gaines is sworn in during a House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services hearing on Capitol Hill December 5, 2023 in Washington, DC

Gaines hit back after discovering that Jacques had ranked as the top higher jumper in the division

Lia Thomas and Gaines react after finishing tied for 5th in the 200 Freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18th, 2022

Following the testimony on Monday, the Education Committee voted against the bill 19-1, and have 'politely killed it', according to The Portsmouth Herald. 

A similar bill, known as HB 1205, is still alive however after it was passed by the House in March but has not yet been heard before the Senate. 

SB 375 would apply to both secondary and college school levels and have seen transgender females banned from entering female locker rooms and bathrooms.

At the start of the month, SB 375 was voted through with all 14 Senate Republicans voting in favor, with all ten Democrats voting against.

Tennis ace Martina Navratilova, who is openly gay, had also reacted negatively to news of Jacques winning at high jump. 

She posted on X: 'will keep saying this as nauseum until the rules change- women’s sports are not a place for failed male athletes.

Tennis ace Martina Navratilova, who is openly gay, had also reacted negatively to news of Jacques winning at high jump 

7th July 1978, Wimbledon Ladies Tennis Final, Navratilova receives the trophy from the Duchess of Kent after her win

'I am not the one competing. Most women and girls do not want male bodies competing against them. And this boy just grew long hair- no mitigation. 

'Keep males bodies out of women’s sports- they are free to compete in the men’s category.' 

Critics say going through puberty as a boy lends many trans women considerable biological advantages that can make it impossible for women to beat them.

There are also concerns that in contact sports like soccer, letting trans women play could potentially cause more severe injuries.

The topic has divided the U.S. for the past several years, as a majority of Americans are against transgender athletes competing against women.