California school official compared ‘Save Girls Sports’ shirt to swastika, rebuked girls wearing it: lawsuit
Two high school cross-country runners and their families are taking legal action against a California school district, claiming that their “Save Girls Sports” T-shirts were likened to a swastika by school officials. The two athletes, Kaitlyn and Taylor, who attend Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California, are in ninth and eleventh grade respectively.
The girls wore the T-shirts with messages such as “Save Girls’ Sports” and “It’s Common Sense. XX ≠ XY” in response to a transgender athlete being placed on the varsity team. This athlete allegedly did not consistently attend practices or meet key eligibility requirements, leading to Taylor being displaced from her spot on the team.
Taylor expressed her shock at the situation, stating, “My initial reaction was like, I was really surprised, because it was like, why is this happening to me? There’s a transgender student on the team. Why am I getting displaced when I worked so hard and gone to all of the practices, and this student has only attended a few of the practices.”
The girls, alongside their families, have filed a lawsuit against the district, alleging violations of their First Amendment rights and Title IX protections. They claim that school officials forced them to remove or conceal their shirts, citing a “hostile” environment and comparing the shirts to wearing a swastika in front of Jewish students.
Despite this, the transgender athlete has allegedly been allowed to wear “trans pride” bracelets, and the school permits other forms of social messaging on campus, including an LGBTQ pride flag. The lawsuit also highlights the fact that the transgender athlete had transferred from another school after breaking their cross-country record.
The girls’ attorney, Julianne Fleischer, argues that there were violations of their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, as well as their Title IX protections. The lawsuit also claims that Taylor’s dedication and hard work were overlooked in the varsity selection process, leading to her being placed on the junior varsity team.
Fleischer believes that these lawsuits are important in challenging policies that allow biological males to compete in women’s sports. With the incoming administration and Congress, she hopes to see positive changes to Title IX that uphold and safeguard the rights of women in sports.
As the legal battle continues, the girls and their families are determined to fight for their rights and ensure fair treatment in sports. The school district and Martin Luther King High School have yet to respond to requests for comment on the matter.
In conclusion, the fight for fairness and equality in sports continues as these high school athletes take a stand against discrimination and fight for their rights on the track.
