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Transgender teen drops out of Irish Dance meet in Orlando

Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel on

Published in News & Features

ORLANDO, Fla. — The transgender teen whose success in girl’s divisions of Irish dance contests led Florida’s attorney general to threaten legal action against the competition’s governing bodies withdrew from regional championships that concluded Tuesday at an I-Drive hotel in Orlando.

She was slated to compete Tuesday in the girls’ 17-and-under division but did not, online contest results show.

Maggie McKneely, a former Irish Dance competitor and now government relations director for Concerned Women for America, said her socially conservative organization had alerted Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier about “a boy competing as a girl.”

She said the group was grateful Uthmeier weighed in and was glad for the dancer’s decision not to compete.

“It’s a win because the girls didn’t have to compete against a boy in their category, and whether he withdrew because of the threat of legal action against the organizations or because of the media attention, it’s still good he didn’t compete,” McKneely said.

Uthmeier did not respond to a request from the Orlando Sentinel for comment.

In advance of the North American championships held the first week of July at the Rosen Centre Hotel, Uthmeier sent a four-page letter last week to the competition’s governing bodies, the Irish Dance Teachers’ Association of North America and The Irish Dancing Commission.

He warned they were violating Florida law by allowing dancers to compete in a division that aligns with their gender identity, rather than their biological sex at birth.

 

“Your policy of forcing women to compete against biological men who identify as women in your women’s categories deprives women of the full and equal enjoyment of fair competition ... ” he wrote. “My office will not tolerate these sorts of policies, and will take all necessary steps to safeguard the rights and interests of Florida’s female competitors.”

The groups did not reply to emails from the Sentinel about the controversy, but in past years they have consistently defended their policy allowing trans dancers to choose how to compete. The newspaper is not identifying the dancer, who is a minor.

Twice previously in Florida, the dancer won regional championships, known as the Southern Region Oireachtas, and competed once in a Girls Under 15 Division at nationals, placing seventh in a field of 126, according to records shared by Gabrielle Siegel, who launched a petition on change.org in support of transgender dancers.

Uthmeier sent his warning after the groups’ policy was rebuked by U.S. Reps. Randy Fine and Greg Steube, who alleged the competition’s inclusivity policy enabled “a trans-identifying male to repeatedly steal titles from female peers” in Florida and elsewhere.

Uthmeier and the Florida Republican congressmen cited Florida’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which requires all public K-12 schools, colleges and universities in Florida to designate their athletic teams strictly on the basis of biological sex — for males, females or coed — and prohibits male students from participating on female-designated teams.

It is unclear whether Florida’s law banning trans athletes in high school and college competitions applies to a private, international event.

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©2026 Orlando Sentinel. Visit orlandosentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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