‘We’re not just fighting for ourselves’: Female athletes sue NCAA for allowing men to compete in women’s sports

(Daily Caller News Foundation) – A group of female athletes sued the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Thursday over the organization allowing “transgender” athletes to compete against them and use locker rooms for women.

The lawsuit, filed by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) on behalf of over a dozen female athletes, alleges that the NCAA violated Title IX, a federal statute that guarantees equal opportunity for men and women in college sports. It seeks to prohibit biological males from competing against female athletes and demands the NCAA revoke awards given to “transgender” athletes who competed against women in tournaments governed by the organization. 

“We’re not just fighting for ourselves, we’re fighting for every young girl who dreams of competing in sports,” Riley Gaines, a conservative female activist and former NCAA athlete, said in an ICONS press release announcing the lawsuit. “I’m thankful for ICONS’ commitment to our cause, especially their financial commitment, allowing us to take this to court. I urge anyone who cares about protecting women’s sport to help get behind us.”

The lawsuit highlights an event hosted by the NCAA and Georgia Tech University with Lisa Thomas, the “transgender” person who competed in the 2022 NCAA Swimming Championships. It also states that the decision to let Thomas compete against women is based on an “illegal premise” that “testosterone suppression and personal choice alone can make a male eligible to compete on a women’s sports team.”

The lawsuit also says the NCAA’s rules allow “men to compete on women’s teams with a testosterone level that is five times higher than the highest recorded testosterone level for elite female athletes.”

The lead attorney of the lawsuit is Bill Bock, who formerly served as the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) General Counsel and resigned from the NCAA Committee on Infractions in February 2024 over rules allowing men to compete in women’s sports, according to the press release.

The international governing organizations for cricket, track and field and swimming barred biological males from competing in women’s events in 2023.

ICONS and the NCAA did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.