Suit Brought To Challenge CIAC's 'Inclusive Athletic Participation Policy'

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) policy that allows transgender girls to compete with cisgender girls in interscholastic competition.

The suit, brought by four sprinters and their families, sought to bar transgender athletes Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood from competing in girls sprint races after they started having success, calling it "unfair competition." The case gained national attention. In recent months it has been cited as several states' legislators wrote bills to prohibit transgender women from competing. 

The CIAC policy allows students to choose to compete with the gender group they identify with. 

The lawsuit aimed to argue against the policy by claiming it was in violation of Title IX.

Ultimately, the court case fell apart because the two plaintiffs still in high school would not be affected one way or the other by the policy, because Miller and Yearwood have graduated. Last spring's early pandemic shut down the 2020 season, nullifying any need for the court to rule on Miller and Yearwood then.

After Monday's dismissal, the CIAC issued a statement:

CHESHIRE, Conn -  The CIAC is pleased with the U.S. District Court’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit brought by four Connecticut families challenging the CIAC’s inclusive athletic participation policy. The district court’s decision recognized that the CIAC policy reflects the federal guidance in place at the time it was adopted, and that there is no basis for a claim for damages against public schools who participate in CIAC sponsored athletics. 

The CIAC has maintained throughout this lawsuit that its inclusive participation policy aligns with both federal and state law, and it was prepared to defend this lawsuit on the merits had there been any basis for it to continue. The CIAC continues to welcome and support inclusive education-based athletic participation, including by transgender students, in accordance with its mission to promote meaningful participation in high school sports activities for all student-athletes.