Three teenage athletes have launched a legal challenge against a US state’s policy allowing men to compete in events for women without restriction.
The girls say they have been at a disadvantage, costing them top rankings and potential scholarships.
The US religious liberty group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is representing the young women.
Equal opportunities
Since the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s (CIAC) policy was introduced in 2017, boys have consistently outperformed girls in athletic events.
Two biological males currently hold 15 women’s state championship titles between them. In 2016 they were held by ten different girls.
ADF says the policy contravenes federal legislation protecting equal opportunities for females in sports.
Legal Counsel Christiana Holcomb said, “girls competing against boys know the outcome before the race even starts. They can’t win.”
’Unfair’
One of the three girls, Selina Soule, 16, said the policy is “unfair to the girls who work really hard to do well”.
In CIAC’s February 2019 State Open Championship’s 55m Preliminary race, two boys were placed first and second, preventing Selina, who would have otherwise placed sixth, from advancing to the finals.
Earlier this year, a US transgender powerlifter broke four women’s weightlifting world records.
’Biologically different’
Former athletes have slammed pro-transgender policies for their impact on women.
Former tennis star Martina Navratilova has previously stated she believes it is “unfair” for males to compete in female-only events, citing their physical advantage.
Sharron Davies, former British Olympic Swimmer, also stated “The reason we have men & women’s races are because we are biologically different”.