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The four cisgender female athletes’ suit seeks monetary damages, a change in the state’s trans policy, and erasing the records and awards of their trans competitors.
A federal judge in Connecticut on Tuesday denied a defense request to toss a lawsuit brought by four female student-athletes challenging a state policy permitting transgender athletes to compete in school sports based on their gender identity.
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The four former students – Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell, Alanna Smith, and Ashley Nicoletti – claimed they suffered discrimination and loss of college scholarships and other opportunities when they were forced to compete in high school competitions against transgender athletes in 2017, 2018, and 2019. They filed suit in federal court and named the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference and five local school boards seeking monetary damages, the removal of awards and records of the transgender athletes and reranking the results, and the elimination of state policy allowing trans athletes to compete in sports based on their gender identity.
U.S. District Court Robert N. Chatigny initially tossed the case, saying the plaintiffs had no standing to file the suit since the students and the two trans athletes, Andrea Yearwood and Terry Miller, had graduated and were no longer competing against each other. An appeals court disagreed and sent the case back to Chatigny for further review.
On Tuesday, Chatigny agreed with the plaintiffs that they had standing to file the suit. Chatigny acknowledged the defendants believe they are bound by state law and the interpretation that federal Title IX guarantees for female athletes protect trans athletes as well. However, Chatigny wrote that the questions raised in the lawsuit must be settled in light of recent court decisions and only after hearing the evidence from both sides.
