Two US States are fighting legal challenges to new laws banning biological boys from competing in girls’ sports at school.
A federal judge has blocked Arizona from enforcing its law after two boys, aged 15 and 11, who identify as female filed a lawsuit against the Save Women’s Sports Act which was passed last year.
Their lawyers argue it violates federal discrimination laws, but Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne believes the case will ultimately be decided by the US Supreme Court, which he’s confident will rule in the state’s favour.
He told The Associated Press that having biological boys in girls’ sport disadvantages the girls. The federal judge disagreed with that assessment.
Arizona is among several states and school districts that have passed laws limiting access to school sports teams on the basis of their birth gender.
West Virginia is asking a Court of Appeals to suspend an injunction against its law restricting participation in school sports by biological sex.
The Christian Post reports another court has previously heard that allowing a 13 year old boy to compete with and against girls “would not harm a single person.”
In a legal submission, the state argued it has “harmed” dozens of young female athletes, especially those taking part in shot put and discus.
It said the inclusion of the male student has prevented more than 100 girls from competing nearly 300 times and deprived several girls of spots in championship events.
It cited statistics showing that the transgender athlete “is throwing farther than ever before — and improving much faster — than biologically female classmates, and repeatedly taking away athletic opportunities from girls.”
The lawsuit noted: “The displaced girls will never be able to recover those opportunities. This broad displacement contradicts what the court was told a few months ago — that not one ‘single person’ would be harmed by enjoining this validly enacted state law. We now know that dozens of young student-athletes have already been harmed.”
