California girl opens up on fighting legal and political battle over trans athletes after life-changing pain

 Taylor and Ryan Starling of Riverside, California discussed their ongoing lawsuit over trans inclusion in girls' sports, speaking at the state capital and all the fallout that has come with it.

Taylor Starling still remembers the day her life changed. 

On Oct. 22, she was dropped from the varsity cross-country team down to the junior varsity squad at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California. 

Her spot was taken by a trans athlete. 

"I felt angry when I was removed from my varsity team because I knew the requirements were changed for him because he is transgender. I felt like my sacrifice, hard work, and dedication didn’t matter to my school administrators because I am a girl. It was easy for them to push me aside and that hurt," Starling told Fox News Digital. 

"As far as coping with it, my family and friends have been very supportive. I also know that everything happens for a reason and God has a plan for me. I always try to find the good when things are hard and keep going." 

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California high school girls' athlete Taylor Starling. (Provided to Fox News Digital)

Now, just five months and two weeks later, at 16 years old, she has much more on her plate than just practice and homework.

She spoke at the California Capitol building in Sacramento in support of two state bills to ban trans athletes from girls' sports, braving pro-trans protesters rallying against the bills.

Her lawsuit against her school district and California Attorney General Rob Bonta has its first court date of May 15. She is the centerpiece of a monthslong movement within her school and community in which students show up every Wednesday wearing "Save Girls Sports" T-shirts,