Three female athletes from Connecticut have filed a federal discrimination complaint, claiming that the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sport significantly undermines fairness of competition.
The athletes, who have all lost high school track events to transgender runners, filed the complaint with the US Education Department's Office for Civil Rights. They are asking for a review of the rule allowing transgender athletes to participate in competitions according to the gender with which they identify.
"Girls deserve to compete on a level playing field," said legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom Christiana Holcomb.
"Women fought long and hard to earn the equal athletic opportunities that Title IX provides. Allowing boys to compete in girls' sports reverses nearly 50 years of advances for women under this law. We shouldn't force these young women to be spectators in their own sports."
Also on rt.com ‘Create a new category’: Fury after transgender runner claims US women’s college title“No one in the state of Connecticut is happy about this, but no one has enough courage to speak up,” said Selina Soule, a runner who failed to qualify for the women’s 55-meter event in the New England regionals after two spots on the team were taken by transgender athletes identifying as women.
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, the body which governs high school sports in the state, said it operates in accordance with policy which ensures equal treatment and a non-discriminative approach to all athletes.