Trans tennis player files lawsuit over school sports policy

(NewsNation) — A transgender teenager who wants to play tennis on her middle school team is suing the Hanover County School Board in Virginia after being banned from participating.

The girl, identified as “Janie Doe” to protect her privacy, tried out for her middle school tennis team and was accepted. However, the school board unanimously voted to stop her from taking part because she was assigned male at birth.

Doe and her family are suing with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, arguing that Doe’s participation is protected under Title IX, a federal policy that prohibits discrimination based on sex.

The Biden administration issued a rule that says Title IX protections, which have historically been used to ensure the inclusion of women’s sports in schools, extend to protecting trans, gender-nonconforming and intersex students.

In addition to sports participation, the rule allows students to use restrooms and other facilities based on their gender identity, says they cannot be subject to discriminatory dress codes and can’t be forced to undergo invasive examinations to prove their sex.

Doe tried out for the tennis team and was selected. Court documents say Doe knew from the age of seven that she was a girl, though she was assigned male at birth. With the support of her parents, Doe began receiving gender-affirming care and legally changed her name and birth certificate to reflect her gender.

Doe is on puberty blockers, which prevent puberty and halt the rise of hormones that male athletes would begin to experience in their teenage years.

According to the filing, Doe’s parents provided all requested documentation to the school board after she was accepted onto the team. However, the board voted to prohibit her from participating, though she would be allowed to play on a boy’s team, where she would be the only girl.

The school board’s policy that dictates students must participate in sports based on assigned sex at birth rather than gender is in line with Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s model education policy. Several other states have also taken steps to block trans students from taking part in sports.

Doe is asking the court to block the school’s efforts to bar her from participating in women’s sports and allow her to play on the tennis team.