WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, IW Features, the grassroots storytelling program of Independent Women’s Forum, released Payton McNabb’s story, which includes raw footage of the kill shot to Payton’s head by a transgender-identified male athlete from the opposing women’s team. The injury has caused Payton to suffer traumatic, permanent damage.
In this documentary, Payton’s parents and younger sister speak out to share their own perspectives for the first time.
On September 1, 2022, Payton, a three-sport athlete and junior in high school at the time, was severely injured by a male volleyball player’s spike. The forceful blow to the head knocked Payton unconscious and exhibiting a fencing response. The documentary exposes the McNabb family’s emotional journey following the incident and the severity of Payton’s injuries—including how the kill shot left her with permanent physical and mental effects, including impaired vision, partial paralysis, and anxiety and depression.
“Progressive gender ideology being pushed so harshly is exactly the root of why this was allowed to happen to me,” Payton told IW Features. “If it wasn’t pushed so harshly, this could have been 100% avoided, and that, that has taken a big part of my life away.”
Watch Payton’s Story HERE:
“Kill Shot: How Payton McNabb Turned Tragedy Into Triumph”
Payton’s parents, Pamela and Daniel McNabb, were not in the crowd for the September 1, 2022 volleyball game, which was “the first game we’d ever missed,” Daniel told IW Features. He continued, “My first instinct was to make sure she was okay and able to get home. Next instinct was to be mad ’cause this was a 100% preventable had the laws been in place like they should’ve been.”
Pamela told IW Features in the documentary, “The biggest change that we’ve noticed is her personality…The child that we raised for 17 years, the child that we knew is gone.”
Avery McNabb, Payton’s younger sister, told IW Features, “I just really love Payton, and she’s who I strive to be like. Just the way she handles things and never lets people tear her down. It’s really inspiring.”
Andrea Mew, IW Features Manager at Independent Women’s Forum and co-producer of the documentary, said: “Payton McNabb is the textbook definition of a happy warrior. She experienced an unimaginable tragedy that could have been avoided, if not for radical gender ideology. But she’s no victim––she’s a victor, demonstrating resilience and unapologetic courage for all young women. Payton turned adversity into a powerful fight for fairness, and she continues to do so with grit, grace, and a “can-do” attitude. Her brand of strength is one that changes hearts, minds, and policies. We couldn’t be prouder to elevate her voice at IW Features.”
Shortly after the incident, Payton decided to start using her voice for change. She became an ambassador for Independent Women’s Forum, joining Riley Gaines and other female athletes and coaches, to take her advocacy national to protect girls’ and women’s sports while pursuing her bachelor’s degree. As an Independent Women’s Forum ambassador, McNabb continues to expose the harms of gender ideology and the critical need for single-sex spaces and equal opportunity.
Payton’s testimony in front of the North Carolina State Legislature on behalf of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act immediately went viral and put her on the map as an advocate for fairness in girls’ and women’s sports, along with fellow Independent Women’s Forum ambassadors Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan. Payton’s testimony was key to the bill ultimately passing after North Carolina legislators voted to override former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto.
Payton’s advocacy work as an Independent Women’s Forum Ambassador:
- Payton was recognized at IWV’s Stand With Women: Equality Is Not A Game event in Philadelphia, PA as an athlete who has been directly affected by and courageously stood up against the male takeover of women’s sports.
- Payton was a featured athlete for the Our Bodies, Our Sports “Take Back Title IX” Summer 2024 Bus Tour across America alongside dozens of female athletes to call attention to the Biden administration’s Title IX regulations and the devastating impact the new rules would have on women’s sports. Payton’s story was shared in dozens of states, including Lancaster and Scranton, Pennsylvania; Arizona; Nevada; Virginia; North Carolina; and Washington D.C.
- Payton signed onto two Our Bodies, Our Sports coalition letters, one to President Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, and one to House and Senate leadership, asking them to stop the illegal rewrite of Title IX.
- Payton’s story was highlighted upon the introduction of the Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act for U.S. House Judiciary Committee markup.
- Payton shared her story with the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee as part of its investigation into the threat to women’s sports.
- Payton joined IWF Ambassadors Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan to speak at a press conference on Capitol Hill alongside members of Congress to support congressional resolutions to designate National Women’s Sports Week and honor the 51st anniversary of Title IX.
- Payton joined dozens of elite female athletes in signing a letter to members of Congress in support of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.
- Payton spoke at the “Our Bodies, Our Sports: Keep Women’s Cycling FEMALE” rally and press conference during the 2023 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships to support top female cyclists who were forced to compete against a male. Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world governing body for sports cycling, changed its eligibility policy to prohibit males from competing in women’s events just weeks after the rally and press conference.
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