High school track stars suing to stop trans athletes from competing in women's sports
Connecticut high school students Selina Soule, Alanna Smith, Chelsea Mitchell, and their attorney Christiana Halcomb speak out.
One of three Connecticut female high school track stars who have filed a lawsuit to overturn the state athletic conference's transgender policy told Fox News Monday night that legal action as "absolutely necessary."
Selina Soule, Alanna Smith, Chelsea Mitchell, and attorney Christiana Holcomb discussed the lawsuit on "The Ingraham Angle."
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Danbury High School sophomore Alanna Smith speaks during a news conference announcing her lawsuit at the Connecticut state capitol in Hartford last week. (AP Photo/Pat Eaton-Robb)
Mitchell, a senior at Canton High School, claimed to Ingraham that she had lost out four state championships and "countless other opportunities" due to the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) police allowing transgender high school athletes to compete without restrictions.
"There are so many girls [who] have been displaced because of this [policy]," Mitchell told host Laura Ingraham. "And so, this lawsuit is absolutely necessary to me."
Bloomfield High School's Terry Miller and Cromwell High School's Andraya Yearwood would be stripped of the right to run track this spring if a judge rules against state policy. Soule, Mitchell and Smith have repeatedly competed against Miller and Yearwood, who have asked a federal judge to delay ruling on a motion that would expedite a temporary injunction. Their attorneys indicated to the court that they plan on filing a motion to intervene this week.
According to the female athletes' complaint, the CIAC policy amounts to "discrimination against girls that directly violates the requirements of Title IX."
Bloomfield High School transgender athlete Terry Miller, second from left, wins the final of the 55-meter dash over transgender athlete Andraya Yearwood in the Connecticut girls Class S indoor track meet at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Conn. earlier this month. (AP Photo/Pat Eaton-Robb, File)
"Because schools are permitting males to compete as girls and women, girls and women are losing competitive opportunities," the complaint reads. "To American girls -- those born with XX chromosomes -- the message is, 'Give up. You can't win.'"
Soule, a senior at Glastonbury High School, said the "continued unfairness" spurred the decision to bring forward the lawsuit.
"I lost out on countless opportunities to get placements, get titles, and qualify for further meets to display my talents to college coaches," she said.
"I've lost out on getting runner-up at meets like states and regionals so I took home a bronze medal when I should have been taking home a silver medal," Danbury High School sophomore Alanna Smith added.
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Holcomb told Ingraham that "courage begets courage" and described the three athletes as incredibly courageous for taking a stand.
"They are high school girls. They should be able to focus on their love of running ... and not have to be foisted into the center of this controversy," she stated, adding: "I definitely think that there needs to be something done to restore fairness."
Fox News' Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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