CT Officials React To Trump's Order Banning Transgender Athletes

CHESHIRE, CT — The Connecticut Attorney General and officials of the state's governing body for high school sports have issued statements in response to President Donald Trump's executive order, banning transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports.

The order, entitled "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports," was signed by Trump Wednesday, on National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The order threatens to withdraw federal funding from any schools which refuse to comply with the order.

In Connecticut, a lawsuit was filed in 2020 on behalf of four female high school track athletes who claim that the participation of two transgender athletes caused them to lose "opportunities for participation, recruitment, and scholarships." They said their chances for success were "directly and negatively impacted by a new policy that is permitting boys who are male in every biological respect to compete in girls’ athletic competitions if they claim a female gender identity."

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) said its policy allowing transgender athletes to compete based on their gender identity aligns with federal and state law.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, the CIAC said:

"The CIAC, with its legal counsel, is reviewing President Trump’s executive orders concerning transgender athletes, the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights' new Dear Colleague Letter, and Attorney General Tong's statement on the executive orders. The CIAC has consistently held that its transgender participation policy aligns with federal and state law. CIAC and its legal counsel will continue to monitor and review all executive orders, federal guidance, state statutes, and state agency guidance to ensure its policies remain aligned with applicable law."

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong reacted immediately after the president signed the order, issuing the following written statement:

"This is meanspirited and unlawful, and deeply harmful to all Connecticut students. The U.S. Supreme Court made it clear in Bostock that discrimination against transgender individuals is illegal under federal law. We will not allow Title IX to be unlawfully misused to degrade women and girls and defund our schools, colleges, and universities. We will strongly oppose any attempt to strip Connecticut schools of funding merely because they are following a policy that aligns with the law.

"Trump is going to do this again and again. He’s going to try to tell us we have two choices, to inflict terrible harm on Connecticut families, or accept the consequences of his lawless draconian threats. We need to remember there is always a third option—to stand together and fight back. That’s what we are going to do."