“There’s nothing else you can do except get really frustrated and roll your eyes,” a young female athlete said. She was referring to the statewide transgender policy in Connecticut which allowed males to win first and second place at the girls’ indoor track championships. She feels that this policy is robbing her of the chance to win races and college scholarships. While also robbing her of her joy for sports.
She is not alone.
On Monday, three young female athletes from Connecticut filed a federal discrimination complaint saying that this policy violates their civil rights. The complaint was filed to the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights and submitted by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
While the Obama administration caused great confusion by covertly issuing guidance that Title IX sex discrimination must include “gender identity,” the Trump administration has rescinded this. In February the Education Department confirmed that it would no longer investigate civil rights complaints from transgender students who were prevented from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. Betsy Devos, secretary of education, explained that the Department is not going to make up laws — this is an issue for the Courts to decide.
Which is where we are at now. The ADF case argues that in the state of Connecticut, federal Title IX rules aimed at equal rights in sports for female athletes are being violated. Which, of course, they are. As one of the young athletes told the Daily Signal in a video with more than 2 million views:
No one thinks it’s fair, but everyone is scared about retaliation from the media, from kids around their school, from other athletes, coaches, school administrators. They don’t want to attract attention to themselves and they don’t want to be seen as a target for potential bullying and threats.
