A young girl preparing to compete in a shot-put competition for students in Grades 4 and 5 in Kelowna, had an unpleasant experience for her 10th birthday. .An older man, Josef Tesar, allegedly came up to her and suggested that she looked like a boy or might be transgender. .Although this was not the gift she wanted for on her special day, she hopes sharing her story can bring hope and support to others who faced similar challenges..During the shot put event for Grade 4 girls, the grandparents of the girl standing in front of the nine-year-old girl approached the event organizers and demanded that the nine-year-old be disqualified from the meet..When the girl's moms, Heidi and Kari Starr (who are separated), came to help their daughter, the man's wife accused Heidi of being a “genital mutilator, a groomer, and a pedophile.”.Heidi claims Tesar shouted “Hey, this is supposed to be a girls' event, and why are you letting boys compete.”.Starr also claims Tesar said, “Well, if she is not a boy, then she is obviously trans.”.Starr's daughter is female and identifies as a girl with a pixie haircut..Tesar denies the allegations in a written statement to Castanet, a Kelowna news site..“I never yelled towards the girl. I went to the official in private and asked one only if this a mixed competition,” said Tesar..Tesar stated that he was informed the event was designated for “girls only.” .When he thought he noticed a boy in the lineup with the girls, he shared his observation with the event official..“As I was walking away from the official, a woman saying 'I'm her mother' and yelling, and swearing at me and offering if I want to see naked, or if I want to see her genitals,” said Tesar..“I said 'No, the certificate is OK.' That's all I said. I never pointed to another girl and said she's obviously trans. That is a big lie as well.”.Tesar was prohibited from attending any future events organized by the school district..The incident on June 8 received widespread attention on social media and international news coverage from outlets like Newsweek in the US and the Daily Mail in the UK..Kyle Frackman, an associate professor at the University of BC who specializes in queer and trans history and culture, told Postmedia she found the actions of the man, who was once a champion wrestler and still possesses a powerful physique despite being a grandfather, to be part of a troubling pattern. .According to Frackman, the behaviour reflects an ongoing and increased fear of changing gender and sexual norms..“When marginalized groups gain more visibility, it tends to provoke fear and anger among majority groups who often feel they lose something when someone else gains something,” said Frackman..“Now, cultural backlash focuses on trans people as a supposed threat to social order, like people of colour and other LGBTQ people have been in the past. Cultural reactions often supposedly aim to protect children when in fact, there is no threat to anything but what some view as proper.”.J.P. Catungal, an assistant professor at UBC’s Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, agreed with Frackman..Catungal raised concerns about the harmful use of “trans” as an insult, where being transgender is wrongly portrayed as evil or immoral..“The moment trans is hurled as an insult, it is straightforward violence,” said Catungal..“The idea that a child must prove their gender to adults who have deputized themselves as gender police and should be able to examine children and their bodies, is just disgusting, plain and simple.”
