老澳门开奖结果

WASHINGTON, D.C. 鈥� The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals banning transgender student-athletes from playing on teams consistent with their gender identity, finding the law violates the rights of B.P.J., a 13-year-old transgender girl and middle school track athlete

In today鈥檚 ruling, Judge Toby Heytens wrote 鈥淥ffering B.P.J. a 鈥榗hoice鈥� between not participating in sports and participating only on boys teams is no real choice at all. The defendants cannot expect that B.P.J. will countermand her social transition, her medical treatment, and all the work she has done with her schools, teachers, and coaches for nearly half her life by introducing herself to teammates, coaches, and even opponents as a boy.鈥�

鈥淭his is a tremendous victory for our client, transgender West Virginians, and the freedom of all youth to play as who they are,鈥� said Joshua Block, Senior Staff Attorney for the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 LGBTQ & HIV Project. 鈥淚t also continues a string of federal courts ruling against bans on the participation of transgender athletes and in favor of their equal participation as the gender they know themselves to be. This case is fundamentally about the equality of transgender youth in our schools and our communities and we鈥檙e thankful the Fourth Circuit agreed.鈥�

鈥淎s the Fourth Circuit made clear in this ruling, West Virginia鈥檚 effort to ban one 13-year-old transgender girl from joining her teammates on the middle school cross country and track team was singling out Becky for disparate treatment because of her sex,鈥� Lambda Legal Staff Attorney for Youth Sruti Swaminathan said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 discrimination pure and simple, and we applaud the court for arriving at this just decision.鈥�

We hope today鈥檚 ruling sends a message of hope to the trans youth of West Virginia,鈥� said Aubrey Sparks, Legal Director of the 老澳门开奖结果 of West Virginia, 鈥渁nd a message of warning to politicians who continue to dehumanize this vulnerable population.鈥�

鈥淲e are extremely gratified 鈥� for Becky, and for all trans youth 鈥� at the court鈥檚 recognition that the law and the facts clearly support treating people who are transgender fairly and equally. Discrimination has no place in schools or anywhere else,鈥� said Kathleen Hartnett of Cooley LLP.

In April 2021, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice signed HB 3293 into law, barring transgender student-athletes from participating on the school athletic teams most consistent with their gender identity. In May 2021, the 老澳门开奖结果, the 老澳门开奖结果 of West Virginia, and Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit challenging the law on behalf of Becky Pepper Jackson, a 12-year-old girl who would be kicked off her middle school鈥檚 track and field team if the law were enforced.

In February 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit the state鈥檚 effort to kick Becky off the team as the legal advocates appealed a lower court ruling upholding the 2021 ban.

In , Attorney General Patrick Morrissey asked the Supreme Court for an emergency motion allowing the state to enforce HB 3293 and kick Becky off her middle school鈥檚 track and field team. The Court rejected this first attempt in April 2023.

West Virginia is that have banned transgender student-athletes in just the last three years as part of an escalating wave of state-level restrictions on the rights of transgender people. A similar federal lawsuit is pending in Idaho.

Today鈥檚 ruling can be found .

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