Former female volleyball player Payton McNabb, who was injured by a trans-identifying player, has been named as one of the special guests who will attend President Donald Trump’s joint session of Congress on Tuesday.
“Payton is a former high school athlete who had her dreams of competing in college sports crushed in a September 2022 volleyball match when a biological man playing on the opposing women’s team spiked the volleyball at Payton’s face, leaving her with a traumatic brain injury,” a press release from the Office of the First Lady read.
“Payton joined with the Independent Women’s Forum and has made it her mission to put an end to this brutal unfairness,” it added.
McNabb shared the news on X and wrote, it’s “an incredible honor to be a guest of @POTUS and @MELANIATRUMP for the State of the Union. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to be present and to have my story recognized as part of the fight to protect women’s sports. Thank you for giving a voice to this issue!”
Such an incredible honor to be a guest of @POTUS and @MELANIATRUMP for the State of the Union. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to be present and to have my story recognized as part of the fight to protect women’s sports.
Thank you for giving a voice to this issue!!!
— Payton McNabb (@paytonmcnabb_) March 4, 2025
The former high school athlete is a vocal advocate for keeping trans-identifying males out of female sports. She previously said she hopes that by speaking up, she can prevent another tragedy like hers from happening again.
In a recent documentary titled, “Kill Shot: How Payton McNabb Turned Tragedy Into Triumph” — created by the Independent Women’s Forum — filmmakers share what happened to McNabb when she was 17 after a trans-identifying player spiked a volleyball at her head, knocking her unconscious.
While the other players on her team finished the game, McNabb was rushed to the hospital with a concussion, a neck injury, and two black eyes.
“If my story can in any way help prevent this from happening to at least just one woman or girl, then it was all worth it,” McNabb said about the documentary. “It was 100% avoidable, if only my rights as a female athlete had been more important than a man’s feelings.”
McNabb, who had dreams of playing college softball, ended up being diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, partial paralysis, a brain bleed, and loss of peripheral vision on her right side. She also suffers from severe headaches, confusion, and memory loss.
