Washington D.C., Feb 16, 2023 / 10:30 am
A federal appeals court announced Feb. 13 it will rehear a lawsuit filed by female athletes who say they were deprived of honors and opportunities in athletic competitions because biological males who identified as female were allowed to compete with them.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision will allow a legal challenge to Connecticut’s Interscholastic Athletic Conference policy that allows males who identify as female to compete in girls’ athletic events. It comes two months after a three-judge panel for the appellate court ruled against the girls, who are now adults.
The suit was filed by four girls who competed in high school track and field contests in Connecticut. In suing the Connecticut Association of Schools, they claimed they missed out on certain achievements, such as championship titles and opportunities to advance to next-level competition and records, which could play a role in scholarships.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which represented the girls, had not requested the court to rehear the case before the court making the decision. However, the lawyers expressed optimism that the full court has chosen to rehear it.