ACLU of Virginia files Title IX lawsuit against Hanover School Board on behalf of transgender athlete after sports ban

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia (ACLU) has filed a Title IX lawsuit against the Hanover County School Board on behalf of a transgender athlete who was allegedly banned from playing on a sports team.

According to a press release, ACLU and WilmerHale filed a Title IX lawsuit on Wednesday after the Hanover County School Board blocked a transgender student, identified under the alias of “Janie Doe,” from playing on a sports team she qualified for.

The school board unanimously voted to exclude Doe, a middle school student, from the team, even after she successfully qualified during tryouts, and her parents provided the board with the documentation they requested, according to the ACLU.

This is not the first time that the Hanover County Board has made controversial decisions regarding transgender students.

Although transgender athlete bans have been passed in 24 states, every bill to ban trans athletes in Virginia has failed in the past three years. Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded educational activities, usually serves to block these bans from going through.

“We jumped through every invasive hoop the school district asked us to so that our child could play, but it still wasn’t enough for them,” said Doe’s father in the ACLU release. “As a parent, I should be the one determining my children’s participation in extracurriculars, not the government, and certainly not unelected adults trying to score political points by bullying my daughter.”

8News reached out to Hanover County Schools for comment and received the following statement from Chris Whitley, the school division’s assistant superintendent:

“It is not the practice of the Hanover County School Board or Hanover County Public Schools to comment on pending litigation.”

The school board will have the chance to respond to Doe’s request to play on the girls sports team during this year’s fall season before the court hears arguments on her request as a result of preliminary legal relief.

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