Connecticut's transgender athlete policy faces renewed legal challenge

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Two months after three Connecticut judges ruled transgender females could participate in girls high school sports, a federal appeals court is reconsidering the case.

Four female athletes sought to overturn the policy, saying they were robbed of public recognition, athletic scholarships and better standings at meets because they competed against "students who are born male." The state allows those born male to compete against girls if they identify as girls.

Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell, Alanna Smith and Ashley Nicoletti filed their lawsuit in February 2020 looking for a "fair chance" as two transgender sprinters, Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood, consistently finished at or near the top in high school meets. 

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In this Feb. 7, 2019, file photo, Bloomfield High School transgender athlete Terry Miller, second from left, wins the final of the 55-meter dash over transgender athlete Andraya Yearwood, far left, and other runners in the Connecticut girls Class S indoor track meet at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Conn. (AP Photo/Pat Eaton-Robb, File)

Mitchell finished third in the 2019 state championship in the girls 55-meter indoor track competition behind both Miller and Yearwood. Miller and Yearwood were born biologically male but identify as female, and from 2017 to when the lawsuit was filed, they had won 15 girls state indoor or outdoor championship races combined.

Alliance Defending Freedom, an American conservative Christian nonprofit, represented the young women in the federal lawsuit, and a lawyer with the organization, Christiana Kiefer, was pleased with the court's