Defying President Donald Trump’s executive order that aims to prohibit men and boys from participating in female sports, an Oregon high school allowed an 11th-grade boy who identifies as a girl to compete in a Portland Interscholastic League track meet, where he thoroughly dominated the girls in the competition.
Last year, Ada (who formerly went by Aayden) Gallagher of Portland’s McDaniel High School won the 200M and 400M races at the 6A-1 Portland Interscholastic League Championship. On Wednesday, he won the 400m race again, timing at 57.62, a full seven seconds faster than Franklin High School’s Kinnaly Souphanthong, who ran the race in 1:05.72. Gallagher also won the 200m again, with a time of 25.76; his teammate Addyson Skyles timed at 27.31.
Another day, another boy dominating in girl’s sports.
Aayden “Ada” Gallagher set a season record and beat the fastest girl by over 7 seconds.
This was in Oregon. Ahem, @AGPamBondi pic.twitter.com/8g5ST6EUOs
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) March 20, 2025
The Portland Interscholastic League is governed by the Oregon School Activities Association, which states in its handbook, “The OSAA endeavors to allow students to participate for the athletic or activity program of their consistently asserted gender identity while providing a fair and safe environment for all students. As with Rule 8.2 regarding Duration of Eligibility / Graduation, rules such as this one promotes harmony and fair competition among member schools by maintaining equality of eligibility and increase the number of students who will have an opportunity to participate in interscholastic activities.”
The Daily Mail noted, “According to an NCSA college recruiting profile, Gallagher – who is listed as 5ft 10ins at 155lbs – writes: ‘I’m able to continue running when thousands of people wish for me to stop and doubt my integrity.’”
After Trump issued his executive order, which declared, “It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy,” Oregon House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, stated she would introduce a bill to amend Oregon’s laws regarding boys in girls’ sports. “Women have fought for — and earned — respect and support for themselves in sports and have made incredible gains in doing so. We must defend that progress and stand up for fairness,” she said.
Oregon Senate Minority Leader Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, introduced Senate Bill 618, which stated:
Each school district shall require that every athletic competition or extracurricular sport is expressly designated by the biological sex of the students who participate in the competition or sport as follows: (a) “Males,” “Men” or “Boys”; (b) “Females,” “Women” or “Girls”; or (c) “Coed.” (2) Students of the biologically male sex may not participate in any athletic competition or extracurricular sport that is designated as “Females,” “Women” or “Girls” under sub- section (1) of this section.
Attorney General Pam Bondi warned Maine that it must comply with the president’s executive order banning men from women’s sports and spaces. Earlier this week, the Trump administration gave Maine educational bodies ten days to adhere to its revised Title IX rules. The move follows a rather dramatic scene at the White House, when President Donald Trump challenged Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) for refusing to follow the law on males in girls’ sports.
