Riley Gaines, a previous Kentucky diver, was one of the more than a few college athletes who filed a complaint against the NCAA on Thursday, alleging that it violated their Title IX right by allowing transgender girl Lia Thomas to compete at the national finals in 2022.
The lawsuit, which was filed in US District Court in Atlanta, information the impact Morris and another athletes experienced when they learned they would have to share a vault chamber with Thomas at the finals in Atlanta. It documents a number of races they swam in with Thomas, including the 200- yard last in which Thomas and Gaines tied for second but Thomas, no Gaines, was handed the five- spot trophy.
Thomas swam for Pennsylvania. She competed for the men’s group at Penn before her gender change.
Tylor Mathieu of Florida, a different plaintiff, placed eighth in the initial heats of the 500-meter freestyle, which eliminated her from the last that Thomas would then advance to win. Thomas was the first openly transgender athlete to capture a Division 1 subject in any sport, placing him in front of three Olympic medalists at the end of the competition. Mathieu was denied first-team All-American honors in that celebration because he did not make the last.
Another plaintiffs included record and volleyball athletes.
According to the lawsuit, the defendants “bring this circumstance to secure for upcoming generations of women the promise of Title IX that the NCAA has denied them and another college people.”
The NCAA and its members continue to promote Title IX, make extraordinary investments in women’s sports, and ensure fair contest in all NCAA championships, the NCAA said in a speech.” College sports are the top level for women’s sports in America, and while the NCAA does no comment on pending dispute, the Association and its members will continue to do so,” the NCAA said in a statement.
Although extensive research is still generally lacking on elite athletics and practically nonexistent when it comes to determining whether a sophomore transgender girl has a clear advantage over her cisgender opponents or teammates, critics claim that transgender athletes have an advantage over cisgender women in competition.
The NCAA revised its policies on transgender athlete participation in an effort to align with national sports governing bodies in 2022, following the example of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
The NCAA’s rules are being updated with national and international sports governing body standards in the third phase of the revised policy, which is scheduled to go into effect in the 2024-25 school year.
The lawsuit also lists the University of Georgia system as a defendant because one of its schools, Georgia Tech, hosted the 2022 championships. The lawsuit argues that the NCAA’s transgender eligibility guidelines” which adversely impact female athletes in violation of Title IX” should be used at upcoming events being held in Georgia.
Representatives from the Georgian schools said they would not comment on the lawsuit because they had not been served with it.
