Three high school track runners in Connecticut have sued to block transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports. They say athletes with male anatomy have an unfair advantage.
The three runners – all female – say they lost scholarships competing against two transgender athletes who’ve almost always won. Their lawsuit targets the state’s athletic conference and several local schools.
Alanna Smith is one of the plaintiffs.
“Mentally and physically, we know the outcome before the race even starts. That biological unfairness doesn’t go away because of what someone believes about gender identity. All girls deserve the chance to compete on a level playing field,” Smith said.
Dan Barrett with the ACLU of Connecticut called the lawsuit a dangerous distortion of law and science.
“Efforts to undermine Title IX by claiming that it doesn’t apply to a subset of girls will ultimately hurt all students and compromise the work of ending the long legacy of sex discrimination in sports.”
Barrett says the lawsuit deliberately misgenders the two girls at the center of the controversy.
The state’s interscholastic athletic conference says it follows state anti-discrimination laws.
