There is an all-out war on Trans athletes!
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, 2023 saw a rise in anti-LGBTQ laws around the country. From Republicans passing laws to ban trans athletes from competing on school sports teams with women to states passing legislation restricting gender-affirming care for minors. The attacks are not slowing down.
Four high school female track athletes in Connecticut have condemned the influx of transgender athletes. They are kicking against trans athletes competing against girls due to several cases of injuries to female athletes. In addition, they are likely setting up a defining legal battle in 2024.
After a lower court dismissed the case, the U.S. Court of Appeals rescued the legal battle, Soule v. Connecticut Association of Schools, in 2023. Consequently, a judge will preside over the case in a federal district court. This lawsuit will be a defining moment in the ongoing debate, which has taken center stage in recent months.
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According to the girls, there have been a string of injuries to female athletes at the hands of transgender athletes. In addition, the girls claimed that allowing biological boys to compete is unfair to female athletes. They added that it also violates Title IX, the federal law prohibiting discrimination based on sex.
The female athletes, Selina Soule, Alanna Smith, Chelsea Mitchell, and Ashley Nicoletti, said they lost to male athletes identifying as female. They also pointed out that from 2017 to 2019, two transgender athletes won 15 women’s track championship titles. According to them, nine female athletes previously held those titles.
One of the girls, Soule, claimed she missed qualifying for a state championship because of the trans athletes. She missed the tournament by one spot after two transgender athletes finished ahead of her. Similarly, Nicoletti missed the opportunity to compete at a state championship open because the transgender athletes finished ahead of her.
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Also, Mitchell, who was ranked the fastest girl in Connecticut, lost four state championships to transgender athletes. Smith also claimed she finished behind a transgender athlete at a regional championship. Hence, she claims “he” pushed her back to 3rd place instead of 2nd.
“Selina, Chelsea, Alanna, and Ashley, like all female athletes, deserve access to fair competition,” ADF Senior Counsel Roger Brook said. “The [Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference] policy degraded each of their accomplishments and scarred their athletic records,” he continued.
Brook also said in his statement that the policy “Irreparably harmed” the girls’ interest in accurately recognizing their achievements. A lower court dismissed the case at first, citing the interscholastic policy. However, the appeals court said the girls had suffered injuries and ruled they could file a legal challenge.
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Consequently, the case has attracted national attention. Also, it will set a precedent in the ongoing battle over biological males attempting to enter female sports in schools. However, proponents of transgender athletes’ participation argued against the court’s decision to proceed with the lawsuit.
They claimed it is unfair to prevent trans athletes from competing. However, the ADF stated that many athletes, coaches, advocacy groups, and states backed the female athletes’ lawsuit. With so many people clamoring for a ban on trans athletes, the future of trans athletes remains uncertain.
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