| | | Three Female High School Athletes File Federal Lawsuit to Block Transgender Students From Competing in Girl’s Sports
 by Cassandra Fairbanks February 12, 2020 167 Comments
 Three female high school athletes have filed a federal lawsuit to block transgender students from competing in girl’s sports against them.The girls behind the lawsuit argue that the biological male students prevent them from obtaining track titles and scholarship opportunities.
The girls are Selina Soule, a senior at Glastonbury High School, Chelsea Mitchell, a senior at Canton High School and Alanna Smith, a sophomore at Danbury High School. They are being assisted with their lawsuit by the conservative nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom. The suit names the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference and the boards of education in Bloomfield, Cromwell, Glastonbury, Canton and Danbury.
“Mentally and physically, we know the outcome before the race even starts,” Smith, who is the daughter of former Major League pitcher Lee Smith, told ABC News. “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.”
An attorney for the girls told ABC that allowing trans students to compete against them reverses advancements in women’s rights.
“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,” attorney Christiana Holcomb said. “Connecticut’s policy violates that law and reverses nearly 50 years of advances for women.”
The Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference says that they are simply complying with federal and state laws that say students must be treated as the gender they identify as.
The suit stems from two transgender runners, Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood, who have competed against all of the girls, winning 15 girls state indoor or outdoor championship races since 2017 between the both of them.
“Our dream is not to come in second or third place, but to win fair and square,” Mitchell said. “All we’re asking for is a fair chance.” |
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