Mother and Daughter Track Athletes Speak Out on Competing Against Biological Males

<p>Mother and daughter Cynthia and Margaret Monteleone share a deep love of running and competition. But after they both <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/06/15/after-competing-against-transgender-athletes-mom-and-daughter-fight-for-fairness-in-womens-sports/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ran against biological men</a> in track events, they knew they needed to do something to defend their right to a level playing field.&nbsp;</p><p>"I think everyone should compete," Cynthia Monteleone said. "I think all athletes should compete. There is no banning anyone. But that being said, there needs to be a distinction to keep the sport fair and to keep biological women advancing in the opportunities available to them."</p><p>Cynthia Monteleone is a World Masters Athletics track athlete and also coaches girls track at the middle school, high school, and elite level in Maui, Hawaii. In 2018, she faced off against a biological male during a track competition in Malaga, Spain. About a year and a half later, her daughter competed against another transgender athlete during her high school track meet.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>"I was a little bit disheartened," Margaret Monteleone said of placing second to a biological male in her high school track meet. "I'd worked so hard through the whole year, just training for this first-ever meet [of] my season. ... I could have gotten first in the heat, and it was really disappointing to me to see my hard work pay off just for second place."</p><p>Now, the mother and daughter are speaking out in defense of <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/03/03/future-of-womens-sports-stands-trial/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">female athletes</a> and their right to fair competition. They join the “Problematic Women” podcast to share their experience running against biological men and how they are advocating for the <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/10/01/we-need-commonsense-protections-to-safeguard-womens-sports/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fu