HARTFORD, Conn. — The families of three female high school runners have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block transgender athletes in Connecticut from participating in girls sports.
Lawyers from the Alliance Defending Freedom argue that allowing athletes with male anatomy to compete has deprived their clients of track titles and scholarship opportunities.
The lawsuit centers on two transgender sprinters who have taken 15 girls state championship titles since 2017.
The Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference says its policy follows a state anti-discrimination law that says students must be treated in school by the gender with which they identify.
As The Associated Press reports, attorney Christiana Holcomb said, "forcing girls to be spectators in their own sports is completely at odds with Title IX, a federal law designed to create equal opportunities for women in education and athletics.” Holcomb remarked on the state's position saying, "Connecticut’s policy violates that law and reverses nearly 50 years of advances for women.”
The attorneys for Alliance Defending Freedom are asking the court to prevent the transgender girls from competing while the lawsuit proceeds. No hearing date on that request had been scheduled Wednesday, the day before the state’s indoor track championships were set to begin.
