(The Center Square) – A federal appellate court ruled Monday to uphold an Arizona district court’s ruling to allow two transgender girls to play on the girls’ sports team at their schools, barring an Arizona law that prohibits “students of the male sex,” including transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports.
The defendants Thomas Horne, Arizona state superintendent of public instruction, Laura Toenjes, superintendent of the Kyrene and Gregory school districts, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen and Arizona Speaker of the House of Representatives Ben Toma appealed the decision made by the district court, saying that the decision did not violate the equal protection clause under the 14th Amendment.
The defendants’ claimed that allowing transgender girls to participate in girls’ sports would be discriminatory to biological girls who would not have the same physical advantages as someone biologically male. They also stated that what actually causes harm to these girls is their gender dysphoria diagnosis, not the inability to play on a sports team that aligns with their gender identity. The court said it was just the opposite.