The senior counsel representing a trio of female high school athletes in the Connecticut transgender case told the Daily Caller that they are “disappointed” at the Biden administration’s choice to withdraw support from the Justice Department (DOJ).
The DOJ told a federal Connecticut court Wednesday that “the government has reconsidered the matter” and announced that it was withdrawing “its Statement of Interest” in the case, according to CBS News. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the non-profit group representing three teenagers suing to not allow transgender athletes to compete in female sports, reacted to the move, which came just before the House of Representatives votes on the Equality Act.
“Defying common sense, the U.S. Department of Education under the Biden administration has abandoned its support for the deserving female athletes who have been sidelined and outpaced by males dominating girls’ sports,” Christiana Holcomb, ADF’s lawyer for the case, said in a statement to the Daily Caller. “But the government’s politically motivated reversal can’t change biological reality or the correct interpretation of the law.”
“Males will always have inherent physical advantages over comparably talented and trained girls; that’s the reason we have girls’ sports in the first place,” she continued. “In fact, Title IX exists precisely because of these differences and is intended to ensure that women and girls have an equal opportunity to compete, achieve, and win. We’re disappointed that our nation’s leaders have chosen to desert high school girls and pretend that their opportunities aren’t worth protecting. Girls and women in Connecticut—and across the country—deserve better.”
Yesterday, the Dept of Ed withdrew support for female athletes who have been sidelined in their own sports by males. This Administration’s politically motivated reversal sided with activists over athletes. Girls deserve better. My full statement here: https://t.co/7okh0oxlBt pic.twitter.com/A8DfMxxzfl
— Christiana Holcomb (@ChristianaADF) February 24, 2021
Former President Donald Trump’s administration filed the statement of interest, which was signed by former Attorney General William Barr. The statement of interest backed ADF’s lawsuit against a policy implemented by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference.
The conference’s rule allows for students to compete based on the gender they identify as, and the three female athletes believe this violates Title IX. The athletes competed against two biological males as a result of the rule. Track star Alanna Smith, one of the females involved in the case, previously told the Caller that she feels like she’s “already lost” before the race begins when competing against the transgender athletes. (RELATED: ‘Biology Is Not Bigotry’: Republican Lawmakers Rebuke ‘Equality Act’ Over Transgender Policies, Abortion Mandates)
During his first day as president, Biden signed an executive order that set the stage for transgender protections, prompting strong reactions from critics who argued that the move would affect biological females. Since then, the administration has reversed its positions on various items backed by Trump, such as the Yale admissions lawsuit.