High School Male Steals New England High Jump Title from Girl Athletes

Lizzy Cohen Bidwell, born a male, stole first place in the girls high jump at the New England Interscholastic Track and Field Championships. Bidwell’s jump of 5 feet, 9 inches set a Connecticut girls high jump record and was the third highest jump for girls in the nation.

Bidwell was one of two boys competing in the event, pushing out two girls from qualifying and competing at the New England Championships. Bidwell, a junior at Connecticut’s Conard High School, took a slot from another girl at the championships by qualifying in the girls long jump.

As the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) posted on X, the boys high jump event was won by a jump of more than 7 feet. Bidwell’s jump was 4 inches below the boys’ lowest high jump of 6-1.

🧵Male athlete, Lizzy Bidwell wins GIRLS high jump below ⬇️

Had the male jumper competed in the boys’ high jump event, he would have underperformed last place (21st) by 4 inches. The winner of the boys’ event jumped over 7 feet compared to his 5’9″ performance. pic.twitter.com/Y4hYtt4Yel

— ICONS (@icons_women) March 4, 2024

The feminist news and opinion outlet Reduxx reported:

Bidwell was transitioned at an extremely early age, and his parents legally changed his name to “Lizzy” when he was between the age of 9 and 10. His parents appear to have increasingly sought to conceal his biological sex over the years.

His mother, Carla Rebecca Bidwell, is a mathematics specialist who began her career as a high school mathematics teacher but moved into promoting critical race theory and trans activism.

Connecticut has been at the forefront of undermining girls sports for years. In 2014, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) adopted a “Reference Guide for Transgender Policy,” permitting biological males who claim to be girls to compete in female sports.

This policy allowed Andraya Yearwood, a boy who identifies as a girl, to win Connecticut girls state titles in the 100- and 200-meter sprints in 2017. The next year, Yearwood and Terry Miller, another male, came in first and second in the girls 100-meter race in the State Open finals. Together, the two took dozens of medals from girls over a period of several years.

After complaining to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights in 2019, three young ladies filed a lawsuit against the CIAC for violating Title IX. The suit, filed by Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell and Alanna Smith, is still making its way through the court system.

Bidwell’s win shows just how important it is for states to protect girls and women’s sports – and their privacy in sex-segregated showers, locker rooms and restrooms. This unfairness for girls and women should also motivate Christians toward involvement in culture and policy issues.

One of the best ways to engage is by connecting with your state’s family policy council. These Focus on the Family-allied groups work to protect life, religious freedom, parental rights, free speech, and girls and women’s opportunities, privacy and safety.

Contact your state policy group today.

Related articles and resources:

Girls Don’t Chest Bump: Transgender Athletes Subverting Title IX (Jul. 22, 2019)

Three Female Athletes Fight Back, File Lawsuit Against Connecticut Transgender Policy (Feb. 12, 2020)

Department of Education Issues Letter in Favor of Connecticut Girl Athlets: Allowing Biological Males in Girls’ Track Violates Title IX (May 28, 2020)

Women Runners File Appeal, Majority of Americans Agree With Them: Males Should Stay Out of Women’s Sports (May 27, 2021)

Federal Appeals Court Rejects Lawsuit by Four Female Athletes Defeated by Males Allowed to Compete in Girls Sports in Connecticut (Dec. 21, 2022)

Good News: Federal Court to Take Second Look at Girls Sports Case from Connecticut (Feb. 14, 2023)

Appeals Court Revives Case Disputing Girl’s Participation in Girl’s High School Sports (Dec. 18, 2023)

Time for Christians to Step Up and Protect Parental Rights, Girls Sports and Children in California (Feb. 14, 2024)

Shoving Girls Off the Podium: More Male Athletes Participating in Girl’s Sports (Feb. 20, 2024)

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