Alliance Defending Freedom gets green light to proceed with case
The lawsuit challenging Connecticut’s policy allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports has been given the go-ahead to proceed by a federal panel. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), representing former athletes, announced on Friday that all 15 members of the panel unanimously agreed to reinstate the case, which will now proceed in federal district court.
Fair competition for all female athletes
In a press release, ADF senior counsel Roger Brooks stated, “Selina, Chelsea, Alanna, and Ashley—like all female athletes—deserve access to fair competition. The CIAC’s policy degraded each of their accomplishments and scarred their athletic records, irreparably harming each female athlete’s interest in accurate recognition of her athletic achievements.” He emphasized the importance of the case not only for the athletes involved but for all female athletes across the country.
Plausible injury in fact
The court found that the plaintiffs had plausibly stated an injury in fact, specifically the denial of equal athletic opportunity and the subsequent loss of publicly recognized titles and placements during track and field competitions where they competed against and finished behind two transgender athletes. This ruling paves the way for the district courts to potentially reject the claims made in the lawsuit.
ACLU and transgender athletes respond
In response to the panel’s decision, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is defending the state’s policy, and the two transgender athletes involved in the case released a statement. They expressed confidence that the narrow decision would strengthen their position in defending the policy and fighting for equality and fairness for all girls, both cisgender and transgender.
Records to be challenged
The lawsuit, initially filed in 2020, sought injunctions to bar the enforcement of the state’s policy on transgender athletes and the removal of records set by transgender athletes between 2017 and 2020. According to ADF, during that period, the two transgender athletes broke 17 girls’ track meet records, denied girls over 85 opportunities to advance to the next level of competition, and claimed 15 women’s state track championship titles.
Source: Fox News