A federal judge on Sunday dismissed a
lawsuit that sought to block transgender student athletes from
participating in high school sports in Connecticut.
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)
filed the lawsuit on behalf of cisgender runners opposed to competing
against two transgender sprinters: Andraya Yearwood and Terry Miller.
The ADF, which is vocally opposed to
LGBT rights, argued that transgender girls have an unfair advantage.
The lawsuit sought to reverse the Connecticut Interscholastic
Athletic Conference's (CIAC) policy that allows high school
transgender athletes to compete in sports according to their gender
identity.
“This reality is discrimination
against girls that directly violates the requirements of Title IX [to
treat both sexes equally],” ADF attorneys wrote.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert
Chatigny dismissed the case because Yearwood and Miller have since
graduated.
“I conclude that the plaintiffs'
challenge to the CIAC policy is not justiciable at this time and
their claims for monetary relief are barred and dismiss the action on
this basis without addressing the other grounds raised in the joint
motion,” Chatigny wrote in his opinion.
He also noted that “courts across the
country have consistently held that Title IX requires schools to
treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity.”
The Trump administration's Department
of Justice and the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights
had sided with the plaintiffs. In February, the Biden administration
reversed course.
Yearwood and Miller are represented by
the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
“This is good news for transgender
students in Connecticut and around the country,” Joshua Block,
senior staff attorney with the ACLU's LGBTQ & HIV Project, said
in a statement. “Today’s ruling shows that allowing transgender
students to fully participate in school – including sports – is
consistent with existing federal law.”
Block added that the ruling is “yet
another sign that lawmakers attacking trans youth in states around
the country have no legal basis for their claims,” referring to the
66 GOP bills that seek to prohibit transgender girls from
participating on sports teams.
Such laws are now in effect in Idaho,
Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, and South Dakota.
(Related: Alabama
Governor Kay Ivey signs transgender sports ban.)
ADF attorneys said that they would
appeal the ruling.