Kanishka Sharma

(Reuters] – A Tennessee law restricting transgender students’ participation in school athletics was challenged by civil rights groups on Thursday. The group argued that it violates the Constitution and is discriminatory.

“Today Lambda Legal (American Civil Liberties Union) and the ACLU of Tennessee filed lawsuits challenging a Tennessee statute that excludes transgender youths from participation in school sport,” stated the American Civil Liberties Union in a statement.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has signed SB 228, which allows public middle and high schools students to choose their sex on birth certificates. Lee’s office didn’t immediately reply to our request for comment.

These legislation supporters claim it will protect school sports fairness by eliminating transgender athletes who are playing on women’s teams as a competitive advantage.

Plaintiff is a state student who claims the law bars him from playing on the boys’ team of his school.

SB 228 was created to exclude transgender persons and not protect female athletes. “The law amounts to an impermissible goal to harm politically unpopular groups and fails to any level of equality protection scrutiny,” stated the suit, filed at the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 35 bills have been introduced to exempt transgender youth athletes from sports in 31 states. This is up from 29 in 2020 or two in 2019.

Advocates for equal rights decry discriminatory restrictions that are meant to incite social conservatives.

Hedy Weinberg (executive director of ACLU of Tennessee), stated that “the emotional cost of this bill to transgender student athletes was tremendous.”