Female track-and-field athletes suing male athletes permitted to compete against them had their case reinstated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit Friday.
Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell, Alanna Smith and Ashley Nicoletti are suing after losing athletic events when the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference allowed men who claim to identify as female to compete against women.
“Starting in 2017, two male athletes began competing in Connecticut girls’ high school track. In just three years, those two males broke 17 girls’ track meet records, deprived girls of more than 85 opportunities to advance to the next level of competition and took 15 women’s state track championship titles,” a press release from Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the athletes in the lawsuit, reads. (RELATED: Father Says Daughter Received ‘Traumatic Concussion’ At The Hands Of Transgender Volleyball Player)
The 2nd Circuit will allow Soule v. Connecticut Association of Schools to proceed in federal court. The court ruled the girls had “plausibly stated an injury” and that they could be entitled to “monetary and injunctive relief.”
WOMEN’S SPORTS WIN 👏 Today, the full 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the case of four female athletes deprived of honors and opportunities by men allowed to compete.
We’re thankful the court fully revived the lawsuit so we can seek a ruling in favor of fairness and equal…— Alliance Defending Freedom (@ADFLegal) December 15, 2023
“Selina, Chelsea, Alanna, and Ashley — like all female athletes — deserve access to fair competition. The CIAC’s policy degraded each of their accomplishments and scarred their athletic records, irreparably harming each female athlete’s interest in accurate recognition of her athletic achievements,” ADF Senior Counsel Roger Brooks said. “The en banc 2nd Circuit was right to allow these brave women to make their case under Title IX and set the record straight. This is imperative not only for the women who have been deprived of medals, potential scholarships, and other athletic opportunities, but for all female athletes across the country.”