'Dear Hockey: Goodbye' - Another Female Athlete Stands Up Against Transgenderism

After 20 years of professional hockey, Rachel Stoneberg is quitting -- not because she wanted to retire, but because she refuses to compete against a biological man.

Stoneberg has been skating since the 7th grade. In addition to her 20 years with the Women's Hockey Association of Minnesota (WHAM), Stoneberg also skated for the University of St. Thomas. Her departure from the ice came with a public announcement -- a written letter, directed at WHAM, and recently shared on social media. Stoneberg titled it, "Dear Hockey: Goodbye."

"Unfortunately, I believe we're beginning to move backwards. ... I have been participating in WHAM since graduating from college in 2005. Earlier this year, I was made aware that males were playing on women's hockey teams in WHAM. Furthermore, these individuals were not required to disclose their gender to their teammates or opponents. Imagine my surprise when I discovered I had been sharing a locker room all season with an individual I thought was a female.

"Some of my teammates voiced our concerns to WHAM leadership, and their response was disheartening. In short, they do not care. They passed the buck to USA Hockey and Minnesota Hockey. It seems they have determined the perceived rights of these few individuals are more important than the rights of the majority of the league. I am left to believe they do not care about my safety or the sanctity of the sport. 

I can no longer participate in a league that does not care about me. And I certainly can't support the league or their agenda with my hard-earned dollars. ... If you want to say you're a girl, go ahead. But you can't force me to say it, or believe it -- and you can't ask me to share my restrooms, my locker rooms or my sheet of ice. That would be infringing on my rights."

In the letter, Stoneberg went on to explain the difference between male and female anatomy, and how "these are factual truths that I would hope we can all agree on." She expressed her concern over women getting hurt, including the "documented instances of this occurring in WHAM, and yet the association has taken no action."

Stoneberg was clear: "I'm not writing this letter for pity. Hockey and I had a great run. ... Attending hockey games as a 42-year-old mother of 2 required me to make some sacrifices. I sacrificed time with my family, time at my job, sleep, health, etc. in order to spend time with my friends playing the sport I love. But the sport (or rather, the association) didn't love me back. So, it's time for a change." "Don't feel bad for me," she stressed, adding, "collectively, we should feel bad."

Stoneberg elaborated: "Feel bad for my two daughters, who are growing up in a state that refuses to take a stand. Feel bad for today's high school students, who have to decide between competing in the sports they love and standing up for what's right. Feel bad for future generations of girls and women. Stand up. Speak up. We have to do better for our daughters. This is not political; this is common sense -- men do not belong in women's sports. How has it come to this?"

Stoneberg isn't the only woman athlete to quit WHAM in protest. Earlier this year, another WHAM athlete, Kelley Grotting, stepped away from the ice for the same reasons. A report from Concerned Women for America released in July revealed a shocking reality: More than 1,941 gold medals from women and girls in the U.S. were stolen by transgender-identifying men. "In California alone, over 521 women and girls have taken silver below a male," and over $493,173 in prize money has been robbed from women forced to compete alongside men in professional competition.

Macy Petty, legislative strategist at CWA and former NCAA volleyball player, reacted to Stoneberg's decision in a comment to The Washington Stand. "To Rachel," she said, "this clearly isn't about attacking someone else's expression or feeling of dysmorphia; this is about standing up for her own freedom and dignity. It is sad that, in a country that prides itself on freedom and opportunity, she must give up her entire athletic career to do that. But it's what must be done."

As Petty emphasized, it's "brave leaders like Rachel who are absolute poison to the ideologies these extremists promote. They insist women are weak, and our concerns are nothing but an afterthought. But we praise the Lord for raising up people like Rachel, who not only defends the dignity of women but embodies it in her bold defense of truth."

Originally published at The Washington Stand