Pat Cordova-Goff, 17, is the first transgender student to join Azusa High School’s Aztecs girls varsity softball team.
After two weeks of practice, then four days of tryouts, the cheer squad member and ASB president’s name appeared on the list of finalized softball team members. According to Azusa Unified School District’s superintendent, Linda Kaminski, the district believes all students should have an equal opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities because it is healthy for them to do so.
Cordova-Goff, who has played baseball since she was 4, told the Clause she feels comfortable and confident with the transition to softball.
“I hope that the season goes as any other season does, but I have a high doubt that it will go easy,” Cordova-Goff said. “Not many people agree with me playing and they are vocal about it. I’m not sure if these people are going to be present at our games or not letting us just play the sport as we should.”
Cordova-Goff said she was born male but started “expressing [herself] more femininely” during her sophomore year.
At least one expert said Cordova-Goff’s physique will not present an unfair advantage to opponents. However, the student said although some people have been accepting of her placement on the softball team, several of her classmates have expressed disapproval.
Cordova-Goff said these criticisms have been “more emotionally draining” than she had thought they would be, but to keep going she feels she only has to remember why she wants to be on the team.
“It’s just a matter of remembering that I am doing this for the right reasons,” Cordova-Goff said. “I don’t have the bad intentions that other people think that I do. It’s a matter of reassuring myself over and over again that it’s OK to do this.”
The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports that other local coaches who will compete against the Aztecs are not too concerned with her making the team because they are confident in the abilities of their own players.
Kaminski said teachers, coaches and other faculty were not allowed to speak to The Clause.