David didn’t defeat Goliath because he was the strongest or the most skilled. He won because God called him to stand—and with God on his side, he could not fail. David’s courage came not from self-confidence, but from deep conviction that truth and justice were worth defending, no matter how towering the opposition.
That same kind of courage is now required of all of us.
Last week, in a shocking display of political suppression, New Mexico Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury moved to shut down a congressional hearing before Payton McNabb could testify. Payton, a former high school volleyball player from North Carolina, suffered a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a spike from a biologically male athlete playing on a girls’ team. Her life has never been the same.
She traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to testify before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government, hoping to share her story and advocate for fairness and safety in women’s sports. But Rep. Melanie Stansbury, the subcommittee’s ranking member, dismissed the hearing as “spreading hate” and moved to shut it down before Payton could speak. Even after the hearing resumed, Democratic members refused to ask her a single question—treating her not as a young woman seeking justice, but as an inconvenience to their agenda.
This wasn’t the first time Payton was dismissed by New Mexico leaders. Earlier this year, she came to our state to support the Protection of Women’s Sports Act—a bill aimed at preserving single-sex competition in athletics. Lawmakers here didn’t listen then either, and tabled the bill for the remainder of the session.
But Payton’s story isn’t the only one.
Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer, tied with a male athlete at nationals—only to be told to step off the podium so he could hold the trophy. High school runners like Selina Soule and Chelsea Mitchell in Connecticut lost championship titles and college opportunities to male competitors. A Massachusetts field hockey player, just 15 years old, was hospitalized this past fall after being struck in the face by a ball hit by a male opponent. These are just the ones we know about—there are countless other girls who are staying quiet, afraid of the backlash.
This is not an isolated issue. It’s a growing trend—and it’s being pushed by powerful institutions: politicians, school boards, national athletic organizations, even our government.
This is the new Goliath.
He doesn’t carry a sword. He wears a jersey. He hides behind slogans about “inclusion” and “equity,” while female athletes suffer in silence. And he’s gaining ground—not because he’s right, but because too many people are afraid to speak up.
That’s why the David in this story isn’t just Payton. It’s you. It’s me. It’s every parent, coach, teacher, legislator, and voter who sees what’s happening and knows it’s wrong.
We don’t need to be loud or politically powerful. We just need to be willing to act. To call out the injustice. To demand truth over narrative. Fairness over fear. Safety over slogans.
Because if we stay silent now, it’s not just girls’ sports we’ll lose—it’s our ability to speak truth in a culture that desperately needs it.
Payton McNabb has done her part. She stood. She spoke. She refused to be silenced.
Now the sling is in our hands.
Let’s not be the crowd that watched quietly. Let’s be the ones who stood.
Jodi Hendricks is the executive director of the New Mexico Family Action Movement.
