PRESS RELEASE: DFI Supports Female Athletes in Legal Battle for Recognition After They Were Forced to Compete Against Men in Violation of Title IX

WASHINGTON—The Defense of Freedom Institute for Policies Studies (DFI) filed an amicus brief today in Soule v. Connecticut Association of Schools, supporting the four female athletes in the case who were forced to compete against men in high school track and thus lost opportunities for prizes, scholarships, and recognition.

The women, who competed in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC), are requesting that a federal court order their former schools to recognize their athletic achievements and award them damages for the injury they continue to suffer as a result of the schools’ violation of Title IX. 

Based on the purpose of Title IX to advance opportunities for women in education and the consistent interpretation of the law’s language for nearly its entire existence, DFI argues that school officials had “clear notice” that Title IX requires schools to provide equal opportunities to men and women on the basis of sex, not gender identity, thus permitting the plaintiffs in the case to proceed with their case based on the discrimination they suffered.

“When Title IX was enacted more than 50 years ago, Congress intended for the law to level the playing field for women,” said DFI Co-Founder and President Bob Eitel. “But the Biden administration and others have contorted Title IX to advance a radical gender ideology that would make Title IX unrecognizable to those who fought for its passage. DFI is proud to stand with these female athletes in their fight for the rule of law and women’s sports.”

In 2013, the CIAC adopted a policy that allows males who identify as female to compete in girls’ athletic events. The female athletes’ lawyers contend that between 2017 and 2020 two males competing in the CIAC broke 17 girls’ track meet records and won 15 state track championship titles that would have otherwise gone to female athletes.

To read DFI’s full brief, click here.

DFI has a strong record of defending Title IX and protecting women’s and girls’ sports. To learn more, search Title IX.