Former volleyball star Payton McNabb — who was seriously injured by a trans-identifying biologically male opponent in high school — hopes that by speaking out she can aid in preventing further tragedies.
In a new documentary titled “Kill Shot: How Payton McNabb Turned Tragedy Into Triumph” — created by the Independent Women’s Forum — filmmakers share what happened to McNabb when she was 17 after a trans-identifying player spiked a volleyball at her head, knocking her unconscious, the New York Post reported.
While the other players on her team finished the game, McNabb was rushed to the hospital with a concussion, a neck injury, and two black eyes.
“If my story can in any way help prevent this from happening to at least just one woman or girl, then it was all worth it,” McNabb told the outlet about the documentary. “It was 100% avoidable, if only my rights as a female athlete had been more important than a man’s feelings.”
“Every single person that fights for truth, people absolutely attack them, but it doesn’t bother me because I know what I’m saying is common sense,” she added. “It’s not about me. I’m in this for women and girls.”
McNabb said that the team knew about the trans-identifying biological male on the other school’s team but were worried about speaking out.
“We never thought we would ever be put in this position to begin with,” the volleyball player said. “I didn’t know one person who agreed with [a trans player competing against us] on my team, but we didn’t know what to do.”
McNabb, who had dreams of playing college softball, ended up being diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, partial paralysis, a brain bleed, and loss of peripheral vision on her right side, the outlet noted. She also suffers from severe headaches, confusion, and memory loss.
“I had the hopes and dreams of playing college softball and I had the opportunities too, but my injury set me back, and it didn’t end up working out,” McNabb said. “I was really depressed.”
“I was always at the top of my class. Learning had never been an issue before,” she added. “But I still just can’t comprehend the way that I used to or focus on what I need to learn.”
The documentary also includes interviews with those closest to Payton who have never spoken out, including her parents and her sister.
Pamela McNabb, her mother, told the Post, “The guilt Payton’s father and I carry is heavy. At the time we weren’t allowed to speak up. We couldn’t say, ‘No, she’s not playing against a boy, it’s dangerous.’”
“I would never, ever let her play today if I knew what I know now,” she added. “Pull your kid. Don’t play. It is not worth what has happened to her to happen to anybody else’s child.”
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