Transgender athletes are now permitted to compete in women’s sports in colleges in the United States.
This comes after a federal judge temporarily blocked a law that sought to ban transgender girls and women from participating in women’s sports.
The legal challenge will be revisited, but the injunction ensures that transgender athletes can compete in sports in colleges and secondary school.
US District Judge David Nye in Idaho ruled that a preliminary injunction was necessary because the plaintiffs are likely to win in court.
This was after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two Boise State students, a transgender and a cigender, who were looking to partake in sports competitions in school.
This is because the law disallowing transgender athletes from playing on a team matching their gender identity allows anyone to challenge a person’s identity.
“I feel a major sense of relief,” one of the transgender students Lindsay Hecox said.
“I’m a girl, and the right team for me is the girls’ team. It’s time courts recognize that and I am so glad that the court’s ruling does.”
Not everyone in the US supports the permission of transgender athletes to compete in all competitions.
Some believe transgender female athletes have physical advantages over other girls.
