A federal appeals court will reconsider a lawsuit challenging a Connecticut policy that permits transgender students to compete in girls’ high school sports. The case had been heard by a panel of three judges in September last year, who rejected the claims of four cisgender female students that the policy deprived them of wins and athletic opportunities by requiring them to compete with two transgender sprinters.
The New York-based 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals announced on Monday that all judges will hear arguments in the case, which alleges that the policy of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) violated Title IX, a federal law designed to create equal opportunities for women in education and athletics. The policy had permitted high school students to compete as the gender with which they identify since 2017.
Conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents the plaintiffs, welcomed the decision, calling on the court to “protect women’s athletic opportunities.” A spokesperson for CIAC declined to comment. The lawsuit was filed amid a Republican-led push in 2020 to prevent transgender athletes from competing on teams or in sports that align with their gender identities.
