Lawsuit Filed by Runner due to NCAA’s Transgender Policy
Evie Parts, a long-distance runner, has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, Swarthmore College, and members of its athletics department. She claims she was wrongfully removed from the track team because she is a transgender athlete.
In her lawsuit, Parts argues that the NCAA’s ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports is not legally valid, asserting that the organization does not have jurisdiction according to Pennsylvania state law or Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education.
The incident occurred on February 6, shortly after the NCAA announced its revised policy regarding transgender athletes. Named in the lawsuit are Swarthmore’s track coach, Peter Carroll, along with athletic director Brad Koch and other athletics officials, who Parts claims contributed to her severe distress, leading her to contemplate self-harm.
Parts’ attorney, Susie Cirilli, defended the accusations mentioned in the lawsuit, emphasizing that the NCAA’s policy is discriminatory. She criticized Swarthmore for adhering to what she termed a “bigoted policy,” while ignoring both federal and state laws.
As of now, Swarthmore College has not provided a comment, nor has the NCAA.
The NCAA’s new policy restricts participation in women’s sports to those athletes assigned female at birth. This change coincided with a recent executive order aimed at limiting transgender athletes in girls’ sports, reflecting a broader and growing concern about fairness in women’s athletics.
On May 6, the Pennsylvania state Senate passed a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports at both collegiate and K-12 levels. However, the bill faces uncertainty in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.
Parts initially joined the Swarthmore track team in fall 2020 but took a hiatus before returning in 2023 to compete in both indoor and outdoor seasons, as well as cross country. Following the NCAA’s ban, she was informed that she could either join the men’s team or compete as an unattached athlete. Furthermore, the lawsuit claims she was denied coaching support, travel with the team, and even a uniform.
Despite these challenges, Swarthmore College eventually “fully reinstated” Parts on April 11, allowing her to compete with the women’s team until her graduation in May. Notably, she had success in her events, winning the 10,000 meters at the Bill Butler Invitational in April.
