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"The sole claim made by the complaining parents was that the winning girl 'doesn't look feminine enough.' Thankfully the investigation didn't get back to the teen, or her parents. But now that the news is out, every female sports champion in Utah will be wondering if she was the one who was investigated for not looking pretty enough for upset parents who didn't know her.

"The incident should be a startling wake up call for those proclaiming to protect girls through state bills banning trans girls from girls sports. [...]

"To date, 18 states have passed laws similar to Utah's. Each and every one has essentially opened the door to intense scrutiny of teenage girls' bodies and appearances. Trans activists and commentators have warned for years that banning trans girls from adolescent sports would open the door to creepy and intrusive inquiries into the birth sex of girl athletes who perform 'too well,' like the champion from Utah who was investigated. What the losing parents did to that girl is state-sponsored harassment - and the problem will only grow worse as the U.S.'s trans panic becomes further entrenched in the political divide.

[...]

"Whether intended by those campaigning to 'protect women's sports' or not, it's quite obvious that these new laws against trans athletes significantly ramp up the threat of stigma based on perceived gender identity. The only saving grace in the Utah investigation case is that neither the girl nor her family found out about it. Such scrutiny from a statewide agency would be deeply humiliating for any girl, cisgender or trans."

-- Katelyn Burns (transscribe), "Trans athlete bans have officially opened the door to state-sponsored harassment", 2022-08-22, Mic.com