Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit That Would Allow Schools to Misgender Trans Athletes

A judge in Connecticut has dismissed a lawsuit against the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference and multiple school boards that demanded trans girls be excluded from competing on girls’ sports teams.

In the decision, a federal judge noted that “courts across the country have consistently held that Title IX requires schools to treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity.” The move comes as a sliver of good news as trans children’s rights have come under attack in states like Arkansas, which has outlawed gender-affirming care for trans youth.

However, establishing the fact that Title IX includes protections for trans women and girls, because they are women and girls, does help prevent the erosion of trans rights already established under federal law, according to Elana Bildner, staff attorney for the ACLU of Connecticut:

“Connecticut’s laws preventing discrimination against transgender people and its policies preventing discrimination against trans youth in school and sports are consistent with federal law. The dismissal of this meritless lawsuit is a victory for trans youth in Connecticut and across the country, Bildner said in a statement.”

At the center of this lawsuit are two trans athletes, Andraya Yearwood and Terry Miller, who came forward in defense of Connecticut’s inclusionary stance, as well as Selina Soule, who still wouldn’t have won the races her now-dismissed lawsuit is bitching about even if Connecticut had discriminated against Yearwood and Miller.