Chelsea Mitchell, a student athlete, filed a case against trans students participating on the track team.
She claims it's "unfair" for trans girls to race against her in the sport.
However, shortly after filing the case, she beat another fellow sprinter—who happened to be a trans girl.
The lawsuit was filed by the Christian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom, known for its strict anti-abortion stance as well as their attacks on LGBTQ equality. It argued that trans students have an unfair advantage to cisgender students, and that they have "deprived" them from titles and scholarship opportunities.
Despite statistics showing no such advantage exists, people still claim the lie is reality.
On February 14th, Mitchell beat Terry Miller in a 55m race. As a result, the case seems to have lost some credibility.
However, Mitchell stood her ground.
"I don't think it could go against [the case], there's still tons of girls that lose on a daily basis."
"I try to just clear everything out of my mind, this is just track, you know, it's just running, just focusing on myself, not trying to think about anything else that's been happening."
The ACLU made a statement on this particular case that it is a "a dangerous distortion of both law and science in the service of excluding trans youth from public life".
The same complaint was filed by two additional girls—recruited by anti-trans groups—in the Connecticut school system.
A week later, a united front of women and LGBTQ+ rights organizations stood with Miller, and released a public statement collectively. Many groups cosigned on the statement, which was in support of transgender student athletes competing alongside their cisgender peers.
Miller herself released a statement on the complaint, defending her participation as a sprinter.
"I have faced discrimination in every aspect of my life and I no longer want to remain silent."
"I am a girl and I am a runner. I participate in athletics just like my peers to excel, find community, and meaning in my life. It is both unfair and painful that my victories have to be attacked and my hard work ignored."
Many folks on the internet have jumped to Miller's defense.
Kate Farrar, the executive director of Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund, was one of the cosigners on the collective statement.
She told Outsports:
"The heart of feminism is acknowledging gender identify and recognizing all aspect of oppression. In that vein, we felt the need to show a united front of support for transgender rights in our state."
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