Analysis by WorldTribune Staff, May 5, 2026 Non-AI Real World News
Paul “Lina” Haaga, a male freshman at an exclusive high school in California, apparently has no regrets about competing against and defeating girls.
Even if one of them is his own sister.
Polytechnic School in Pasadena allows Haaga, a male who calls himself a girl, to compete in girls track and field. He won the 400 meter race at a prestigious championship meet in late April, defeating his sister for the top spot.
“Lina” won the Prep League Championship Finals with a time of 59.45 seconds. His older sister, Flintridge Preparatory School sophomore Sienna Haaga, came in second with a time of 60.03 seconds. Lina Haaga also competed on the school’s team for the 4×400 relay, once again edging out his sister for the top spot.
Haaga also plays tennis, being described as one of the “key singles players” for the girls’ team at his school.
“Lina” Haaga told The Guardian that sports are his “life.” He claimed that a ban on males in female sports would make him “uncomfortable,” and claimed that he would be “robbed” of opportunities. (What about the opportunities being “robbed” from actual females?)
He said that the “political climate” regarding the inclusion of boys in girls’ sports makes him “worry every time [he steps] on the track or the court that somebody might disagree with [his] participation.”
Reduxx reported that the school Haaga attends can reach $48,000 per year or more in tuition. Haaga is also the grandson of Paul Haaga Jr, who once served as the acting President and CEO of NPR, and was a former trustee of the Facebook Oversight Board.
A spokesperson for HeCheated told Reduxx: “In instances where girls are denied fair competition and consequently lose titles and opportunities to boys, they should be able to rely on their families for support, even if the school administration opposes them. While it is not uncommon for parents to favor a son over a daughter, this case presents an especially nightmarish situation in which the daughter has no familial support and no one to stand up for her right to be recognized as a deserving champion.”
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