More than a dozen college student-athletes filed a lawsuit Thursday against the NCAA over the association's transgender policies, alleging their Title IX rights have been violated by allowing Lia Thomas to compete at the national championships in 2022.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Atlanta, and includes former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines as one of the plaintiffs, detailed the schok Gaines and other swimmer felt when they learned they would have to share a locker room with Thomas at the championships in Atlanta.
According to ESPN, the lawsuit also documents the races they swam in with Thomas, including the 200-yard final in which Thomas and Gaines tied for fifth but Thomas, not Gaines, was handed the fifth-place trophy.
Athletes from other sports, including volleyball and track also joined the lawsuit.
The lawsuit said the plaintiffs "bring this case to secure for future generations of women the promise of Title IX that is being denied them and other college women" by the NCAA.
The lawsuit also lists the University of Georgia system as a defendant because one of its schools, Georgia Tech, hosted the 2022 championships. The suit seeks to halt the NCAA from employing its transgender eligibility policies "which adversely impact female athletes in violation of Title IX" at upcoming events being held in Georgia.
According to Forbes, the plaintiffs, who are seeking other athletes to join the class action suit, are asking a judge to declare "any male” who has competed in NCAA women’s events ineligible, revoke and re-award any titles those athletes have won and stop the body from allowing transgender female athletes to compete in women's events going forward, among other demands.
Marshi Smith, co-founder of the Independent Council On Women’s Sports, which funded the lawsuit, said in a statement to Forbes the complaint "isn't just about competition; it’s a fight for the very essence of women’s sports. We’re standing up for justice and the rights of female athletes to compete on a level playing field."
