Utah Trans Girls Sports Ban Challenged

Two Utah families have filed a legal challenge in Utah state court against House Bill 11 which prohibits transgender girls from competing in school sports. The law was enacted by the legislature over Gov. Spencer Cox’s veto & singles out transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports. It bars every transgender girl from competing on a girls’ team regardless of her medical care or individual circumstances. The plaintiffs are represented by the ACLU of Utah, the National Center for Lesbian Rights & the firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Jenny Roe a 16-year-old junior in high school who wants to play volleyball her senior year stated, “My last season playing volleyball was one of the best times of my life. I loved my teammates, felt part of something bigger than myself & finally had a way to socialize with friends after being cooped up during the pandemic. This law devastated me. I just want to play on a team like any other kid.” Jenny’s mother, Debbie Roe added, “It feels like an attack on our family. Parents want their kids to be happy & to be surrounded by people who love & nurture them. This law does the opposite—it tells my daughter that she doesn’t belong & that she is unworthy of having the same opportunities as other students at her school.” Justice Christine Durham, former Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court & senior of counsel at Wilson Sonsini concluded, "This law bans transgender girls from competing with other girls in every sport, at every grade level & regardless of each girl's individual circumstances. It cannot survive constitutional scrutiny & it endangers transgender children." For More Info…