W.Va. ACLU Joins Suit Against Transgender Student Athlete Ban

A civil liberties and LGBTQ rights group are suing West Virginia and Harrison County officials, over a law targeting transgender athletes.

House Bill 3293 is slated to take effect July 8. It bars transgender girls and women from playing team sports with other girls and women, from middle school through college.The West Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Wednesday with Lambda Legal, one of the largest national law firms for LGBTQ rights. They’re suing on behalf of an 11-year-old transgender girl who wanted to join her middle school’s cross-country team.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Charleston, names the state board of education and the Harrison County Board of Education.

The complaint said the law violates the U.S. Constitution and Title IX, a 1972 law that prohibits sex discrimination in school sports.

The national ACLU is challenging similar laws in other states.

Author: Curtis Tate

Curtis is our Energy & Environment Reporter, based in Charleston. He has spent more than 17 years as a reporter and copy editor for Gannett, Dow Jones and McClatchy. He has written extensively about travel, transportation and Congress for USA TODAY, The Bergen Record, The Lexington Herald-Leader, The Wichita Eagle, The Belleville News-Democrat and The Sacramento Bee. You can reach him at ctate@wvpublic.org.

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