Washington D.C., Oct 5, 2021 / 10:05 am
Three female athletes and a Christian education association are seeking to intervene in a lawsuit against the Biden administration over its transgender athletics policy.
The Department of Education in June announced that it would interpret existing federal civil rights law to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The policy would apply to federally-funded education programs, opening up many women’s sports and women’s facilities at schools to biological males identifying as transgender females.
In response, 20 state attorneys general sued over the policy. On Monday, the Association of Christian Schools International and three female athletes in Arkansas filed a motion in a federal court to intervene in the lawsuit. The group Alliance Defending Freedom represents the athletes as well as the association of evangelical and Protestant schools, which is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“The Biden administration’s radical push to redefine sex in federal law has widespread impact and specifically threatens female athletes. This undermines one of the driving purposes of Title IX to promote equality for women in athletics, and it jeopardizes the safety of female athletes by allowing physically stronger, faster, and larger males to compete on women’s teams,” stated Ryan Bangert. senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom.