Judge tosses suit that sought to bar transgender athletes from competing in girls sports

A federal judge on Sunday dismissed a lawsuit in Connecticut that sought to prevent transgender athletes from competing in girls high school sports in the state. 

The lawsuit was filed in February 2020 by a group of high school students seeking to prevent transgender girls from competing in track events. The students alleged that they would “face unfair competition” from two transgender students. 

The group of students filed the lawsuit against several school boards and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, which oversees school sports in the state and allows students to participate in sports aligned with their gender identities. They alleged that the policy provided fewer opportunities for cisgender girls competing against transgender girls.

U.S. District Judge Robert Chatigny dismissed the lawsuit in a ruling released Sunday, finding that there was no longer an issue to resolve because the two transgender students identified in the lawsuit had graduated. 

The Biden administration earlier this year withdrew federal support for the lawsuit, reversing the Trump administration’s position. 

Former Attorney General William Barr had previously argued that Connecticut’s policy violated Title IX, which guarantees girls equal access to sports and other school opportunities.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) celebrated the ruling. Joshua Block, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU, called the dismissal “good news for transgender students in Connecticut and around the country.”

“Today’s ruling shows that allowing transgender students to fully participate in school — including sports — is consistent with existing federal law,” Block said in a Sunday statement.

The Alliance Defending Freedom has vowed to appeal the dismissal of the lawsuit, according to The Associated Press.

Republicans across the country have introduced measures to ban transgender athletes from women’s and girls sports teams.