Four years ago this week, I stepped onto a court fully expecting to compete in another high school volleyball match. Instead, I left with an injury that altered the course of my life. A spike from a male athlete competing on the opposing girls’ team struck me in the head and knocked me unconscious. Years have passed, but I do not get to leave that moment in the past. The concussion, ongoing vision problems, partial paralysis on my right side, headaches, anxiety, and depression remain with me today, acting as constant reminders of both the injury I suffered and the future athletic opportunities it took away.

For me, the debate over males competing in women’s sports has never been a form of abstract political argument; it’s something I’ve lived with the consequences of. It played a large role in why I went to the North Carolina General Assembly in 2023 and told lawmakers what had happened to me. I supported House Bill 574, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, because girls deserve clear rules that protect their safety, preserve fair competition, and ensure that female athletic opportunities are for female athletes.

Roy........

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