Arguments Begin On Connecticut Gender Identity Policy For Scholastic Sports
A court in Connecticut has started hearing oral arguments in a case challenging the state's policy allowing males who identify as female to compete in girls' sports.
Alliance Defending Freedom, an organization that defends the First Amendment rights of free speech and religious liberty, is representing four Connecticut track athletes: Selina Soule, Alanna Smith, Chelsea Mitchell, and Ashley Nicoletti.
The case, Soule v. Connecticut Association of Schools, was dismissed by a judge last year on procedural grounds. This was because the two transgender athletes in question had already graduated.
The plaintiffs have since appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. They argue that male athletes competing in girls' and women's athletics are taking away opportunities from biological females.
Title IX Is At The Center Of The Case
"What we're arguing before the court tomorrow at the Second Circuit is that the court should allow this case to move forward, that girls should be able to make their case in court and demonstrate that males coming in and dominating girls' sports is a clear violation of Title IX," Alliance Defending Freedom's Christiana Kiefer said to Fox News Digital.
The ADF is arguing that Title IX protects athletes based on their biological sex and not by gender identity.
As the vast majority of us are well aware there are, in fact, biological differences between males and females.
"Males will always have inherent physical advantages over comparably talented and trained girls; Title IX’s whole purpose was to ensure that girls had equal athletic opportunities to compete—and win—in girls’ sports events," ADF Senior Counsel Roger Brooks wrote in a press release.
This case comes as the Biden administration pushes to expand the reach of Title IX to include gender identity protections. However, some feel that this is inconsistent with the reason Title IX was introduced in the first place.
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