Swarthmore College Sued by Trans Athlete

Swarthmore College is currently facing a lawsuit from Evelyn Parts, a transgender athlete, who claims that the institution removed her from women’s teams after the NCAA revised its rules to prevent biological men from competing in women’s sports.

This filing marks Parts as the third transgender athlete to sue a U.S. university in just a month over similar issues. Swarthmore has issued a statement in response, addressing the specific claims made by Parts and asserting their commitment to inclusivity.

“Swarthmore values the contributions of its trans community members and strives to create a supportive environment,” the statement noted. “We recognize that this is a challenging time for many within the trans community, particularly student-athletes.” The college added that they aimed to support Parts while considering the impact on other women in the track team. They mentioned that, due to the pending lawsuit, they wouldn’t provide further comments.

Parts alleges that in February, the school informed her she could no longer compete with the women’s teams, following an executive order from Donald Trump aimed at excluding men from women’s sports.

The lawsuit highlights Parts’ prior re-entry into the women’s track team on April 11. She contends that despite the changes in policy and the executive order, she was still able to compete on the women’s team until her graduation in May. Notably, Parts is recorded as the women’s 10,000-meter winner at an event in April.

Parts’ attorney, Susie Cirilli, expressed her support for the lawsuit, arguing that the NCAA has enacted biased policies, which she claims Swarthmore has followed while ignoring relevant federal and state laws.

Swarthmore isn’t alone in facing scrutiny; Ithaca University in New York confirmed that transgender athletes will participate in Division III rowing competitions despite previous NCAA stipulations. They indicated that there had been some misunderstanding within the coaching staff regarding the participation of trans athletes.

The NCAA has commented on Ithaca’s policy violations, clarifying that male athletes cannot compete on women’s teams, even with altered identification. If such competitions occur, the teams are categorized as mixed and do not qualify for women’s events. Ithaca has expressed its intention to comply with established policies.

Former President Joe Biden’s administration has also moved to protect women’s sports rights, creating a complex backdrop of ongoing legal disputes involving trans athletes. Recent lawsuits have been prompted by incidents involving notable athletes like Leah Thomas and Blair Fleming, leading to responses from organizations like the NCAA.

Further complications arose when the Department of Education intervened in cases similar to Parts’, including agreements with universities like UPenn to address the concerns surrounding trans athletes’ participation.

The ongoing investigation involving San Jose’s situation continues as Fox News Digital reaches out to the NCAA for additional commentary regarding Parts’ lawsuit.