SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — After a judge delayed enforcing a state ban earlier this year, transgender children in Utah will not be subject to restrictions on participation in sports at the start of the next school year.
Judge Keith Kelly’s decision on Friday to suspend the law pending resolution of legal issues comes after Utah prosecutors recently rejected a request to dismiss the case. Most students in Utah returned to school this month.
Lawyers representing the families of the three transgender student-athletes filed a lawsuit in May objecting to the ban, arguing that it violated constitutional guarantees of equality and due process under the Utah Constitution.
Similar lawsuits are underway in states such as Idaho, West Virginia, and Indiana.
The issue of whether or not trans women should be allowed to play women’s sports became a flashpoint in the United States when Republican lawmakers passed legislation banning women from participating on the grounds that it gave them an unfair competitive advantage.
Transgender rights advocates argue that the rules are not just about sports, but are another way to shame and attack transgender youth.
As of March, the Utah High School Activities Association was aware of only one transgender girl participating in prohibited K-12 sports.
The association, which organizes leagues for 85,000 students, said there were no public claims of competitive advantage for any of the state’s four young transgender athletes.
Source: Breitbart
