Athletes sue to keep girls sports for girls

Three Connecticut high school students and their families filed a lawsuit in federal court on Wednesday to keep boys from competing as girls in high school athletics. The plaintiffs are runners who say competing against male athletes has unfairly cost them championship titles, state records, and scholarship opportunities.

What does the lawsuit aim to accomplish? The runners are suing several city education boards and the Connecticut Association of Schools–Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, the governing body for secondary school athletics in the state. In 2017, the organization changed its policies to allow biological males who identify as transgender to compete in girls sports. The plaintiffs say the policy flouts Title IX, which requires equal treatment of the sexes in education programs that receive federal funding.

“Mentally and physically, we know the outcome before the race even starts,” said sophomore Alanna Smith of Danbury High School. “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.”

Dig deeper: Read Kyle Ziemnick’s report about the athletes’ struggles in Relations.