US Trans Runner, Evie Parts, Sues Over ‘Bigoted’ Ban From College Track Team
Long-distance track runner, Evie Parts, is suing the NCAA, Swarthmore college, and members of its athletic department over claims that they illegally removed her from the track team because she is transgender.
Reports state that Parts’ lawsuit is saying that the NCAA’s ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports does not have legal grounds due to the fact that it’s not a governmental organization, so it doesn’t have jurisdiction over Pennsylvania state law or the Title IX federal statute.
The NCAA is US college sports’ largest governing body. Parts was taken off the team on February 6th, the date that the NCAA issued its new policy on transgender athletes.
Also named in the lawsuit was Swarthmore men’s and women’s track coach Peter Carroll, athletic director Brad Koch, and athletics officials Christina Epps-Chiazor and Valerie Gomez. The complaint cited that Parts was sent into “such a depressive state that she engaged in self-harm and in one moment told a friend that she wanted to kill herself.”
“We stand by the allegations in the complaint,” said Susie Cirilli, an attorney who represents Parts.
“As stated in the complaint, the NCAA is a private organization that issued a bigoted policy. Swarthmore College chose to follow that policy and disregard federal and state law.”
Swarthmore released a statement that the college “deeply values our transgender community members.”
“We recognize that this is an especially difficult and painful time for members of the transgender community, including student-athletes,” the school stated.
“We worked to support Evie Parts in a time of rapidly evolving guidance, while balancing the ability for other members of the women’s track team to compete in NCAA events. Given the pending litigation, we will not comment any further.”
The NCAA, who’s chosen not to comment on the suit, changed their participation policy for transgender athletes so that in women’s sports competitions only athletes assigned female at birth can participate.
This change occurred a day after Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports.
Parts initially joined the Swarthmore track team in the fall of 2020. She took off the following four winter and spring seasons before joining the team again in 2023 to compete in the indoor and outdoor track seasons and in cross country.
The lawsuit stated that once the NCAA issued the ban, Parts was told by Epps-Chiazor and Gomez that she could compete with the men’s team or as an unattached athlete. Additionally, she would only be able to receive medical treatment if she competed on the men’s team, the complaint added.
Carroll and his staff were told they were not allowed to coach Parts and she could not travel with the team. She also was not allowed to receive per diem, food, and had to pay her way into meets. She also was not able to wear a Swarthmore uniform.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
