AG James Urges Court to Rule for Trans Athletes
More than a dozen states ask Second Circuit to affi rm lower court ruling
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
New York Attorney General
Letitia James is
leading a coalition of 20
attorneys general from
across the nation in fi ling a brief
urging the federal courts to toss
a lawsuit in Connecticut aiming
to ban trans students from participating
in school sports teams
that correspond with their gender
identity.
The brief, fi led in the US Court
of Appeals for the Second Circuit,
demands that the court affi rm a
ruling in April that dismissed a
lawsuit challenging trans-inclusive
sports policies from the Connecticut
Interscholastic Athletic Conference
(CIAC.) The brief stems from a
case lodged by four cisgender girls
who allege that transgender players
pose a “competitive disadvantage”
to cisgender athletes. In 2019, former
New York State Attorney General Letitia James has fi led a brief in support of trans student athletes.
Connecticut high school track
stars Andraya Yearwood and Terry
Miller, who are transgender, made
headlines after student-athletes
REUTERS/LUCAS JACKSON
claimed that they unfairly won competitions
against cisgender girls.
“Attacks on transgender students
are a violation of their rights
LEGAL
and simply will not be tolerated,”
James said in a written statement.
“When we adopt inclusive policies
that honor every individual’s rights
with dignity, we create a fairer,
more just, and more prosperous
society for all. The law does not discriminate
based on gender, sexual
orientation, or gender identity, and
I will do everything in my power to
fi ght for equal protection under the
law for every community.”
In the brief, the attorneys general
argue that Title IX of the Education
Amendment of 1972 does not
prohibit transgender female athletes
from playing on teams that
align with their gender identity.
Some of those joining the brief
include the attorneys general of
California, New Jersey, Virginia,
Colorado, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon,
and other states.
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