The families of three Connecticut high school girls who run cross country are suing in an attempt to block transgender students from participating in girls’ sports in the state.
In a statement, a law firm representing the three families accused school officials associated with Glastonbury High School and Canton High School of forcing girls “to compete against boys” by allowing transgender girls to participate in the same divisions as other female students, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.
“Forcing them to compete against boys isn’t fair, shatters their dreams, and destroys their athletic opportunities,” said attorney Christiana Holcomb, according to the AP. “Having separate boys’ and girls’ sports has always been based on biological differences, not what people believe about their gender, because those differences matter for fair competition.”
“And 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,” Holcomb added. “Connecticut’s policy violates that law and reverses nearly 50 years of advances for women.”
The lawsuit names the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference as well as a number of local school boards as defendants in the case. Two transgender students who currently compete in the same divisions as the plaintiffs’ children are also considered to be at the center of the case and declined to comment to the AP on the lawsuit.