A female high school track athlete said she was "disappointed" after the Biden administration moved to withdraw its support from a lawsuit against the state of Connecticut that seeks to prevent transgender girls from competing in female sports at the high school level.
The Department of Justice withdrew its support Wednesday ahead of a hearing in which the court is set to rule on the state’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which was filed in March 2020.
"The government has reconsidered the matter and hereby notifies the Court that it withdraws its Statement of Interest,” according to the filing.
HIGH SCHOOL RUNNERS SUE TO BLOCK TRANSGENDER STUDENTS FROM COMPETING IN CONNECTICUT
The families of three students, all of whom compete in interscholastic girls track and field in Connecticut, brought the lawsuit. Allowing transgender students in women’s athletics hinders their competitive opportunities, they argued. Following a rule change, transgender girls in Connecticut schools were allowed to start competing in female athletics in 2017.
One of the student-athletes said she and her peers "have worked really hard to get our stories out there to get people to realize that fairness needs to be restored in our sport and in all other women’s sports," she told Fox News, adding that she hopes people "realize that a lot of biological females have missed out on making it to meets that really matter … and the transgender athletes have taken spots on the podium that belong to biological females."
Transgender athletes hold 15 state female championship titles and 17 school records.
The DOJ under former President Donald Trump supported the lawsuit. Former Attorney General William Barr signed a statement of interest in the lawsuit claiming that the policy violates Title IX, the federal law that requires equal opportunities for everyone.
"Title IX and its implementing regulations prohibit discrimination solely 'on the basis of sex,' not on the basis of transgender status, and therefore neither require nor authorize CIAC's transgender policy," the Trump DOJ told the court. "To the contrary, CIAC's construction of Title IX as requiring the participation of students on athletic teams that reflect their gender identity would turn the statute on its head."
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On President Biden's first day in office, he signed an executive order focused on "preventing and combating discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation," which states, "Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports."
