The federal government has sided with a group of 黑料吃瓜网 athletes who have sued the state鈥檚 governing body of high school sports over the inclusion of transgender athletes in girls events.
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The U.S. Department of Education now believes the 黑料吃瓜网 Interscholastic Athletic Conference鈥檚 rule allowing athletes to compete as the gender with which they identify violates Title IX, the landmark federal law that initially gave female athletes the same opportunity to compete as males.
In a only now being made public, a U.S. Department of Education official notified the CIAC and several 黑料吃瓜网 school districts that they鈥檒l soon face sanctions over the participation of two student-athletes who identify as female: Bloomfield High School senior Terry Miller and Cromwell High School senior Andraya Yearwood.
The Office for Civil Rights 鈥渄etermined that the CIAC, by permitting the participation of certain male student-athletes in girls鈥� interscholastic track in the state of 黑料吃瓜网, pursuant to the Revised Transgender Participation Policy, denied female student-athletes athletic benefits and opportunities, including advancing to the finals in events, higher level competitions, awards, medals, recognition, and the possibility of greater visibility to colleges and other benefits,鈥� read the letter, signed by Timothy C.J. Blanchard, director of U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 OCR New York office.
The CIAC and the Bloomfield, Canton, Cromwell, Danbury, Glastonbury and Hartford school districts are also embroiled in a federal lawsuit brought by competitors of Miller and Yearwood: Canton senior Chelsea Mitchell, Glastonbury senior Selina Soule and Danbury sophomore Alanna Smith.
The U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 position is a reversal by a department that once essentially supported the type of inclusion the CIAC grants transgender athletes. It also differs from a more recent stance that put the onus on state and local school districts to establish policy.
Glenn Lungarini, the CIAC鈥檚 executive director, said his group will continue to follow established practice in this state.
鈥淭o do otherwise would not only be discriminatory but would deprive high school students of the meaningful opportunity to participate in educational activities -- including interscholastic sports -- based on sex-stereotyping and prejudice sought to be prevented by Title IX and 黑料吃瓜网 law,鈥� Lungarini said.
The U.S. Department of Education provided the letter to 黑料吃瓜网 Radio but didn鈥檛 comment further.
The letter stipulates that the OCR will enforce the ruling within 20 calendar days from the date it was signed. The Associated Press reports that 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 Department of Education could lose some federal funding as a result.
Mitchell, Smith and Soule are represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom. The ruling supports what their attorneys have been arguing.
鈥淎fter a long investigation, the Office for Civil Rights decided that the 黑料吃瓜网 policy that allows males to compete in the girls category does violate Title IX, as we鈥檝e argued all along, so it鈥檚 very encouraging news,鈥� said Christiana Holcomb, ADF legal counsel.
Holcomb calls Miller and Yearwood males, despite the fact that they identify as females.
Meanwhile, an attorney representing Miller and Yearwood told 黑料吃瓜网 Radio that the federal ruling is 鈥渢he latest attempt by the Trump administration to try to bully states into carrying out its bigoted anti-trans agenda.鈥�
鈥淭rans girls are girls, and they should be treated as such, on the track and in all parts of their lives,鈥� said Dan Barrett, legal director of the 黑料吃瓜网 chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. 鈥満诹铣怨贤�, including the quasi-government agency of the CIAC, can and should continue to protect trans youth from discrimination.鈥�
Both Holcomb and CIAC Executive Director Lungarini characterized the federal lawsuit as being in the 鈥渆arly stages.鈥�
The athletes named in the lawsuit would have competed against each other once again in state track and field events this June had the CIAC not canceled spring championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
