Evie Parts, a long-distance runner, has filed a lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Swarthmore College, and several athletics officials, alleging that she was unlawfully removed from the women’s track team because she is transgender.
The lawsuit claims the NCAA’s ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports lacks legal authority, arguing that the NCAA is a private organisation and cannot override Pennsylvania state law or the federal Title IX statute. Parts was removed from the team on 6 February, the same day the NCAA implemented its new policy limiting women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth.
According to the complaint, the removal caused Parts severe emotional distress, leading to self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Her attorney, Susie Cirilli, stated: ‘We stand by the allegations... 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 acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, saying it ‘deeply values our transgender community members’ and worked to support Parts while balancing the needs of other athletes. The college reinstated Parts on 11 April, allowing her to compete until her graduation in May.
Parts, who originally joined the team in 2020, took several seasons off before returning in 2023. The lawsuit also names Swarthmore’s coach Peter Carroll, athletic director Brad Koch, and officials Christina Epps-Chiazor and Valerie Gomez, alleging that Parts was denied coaching, travel privileges, and team uniform after the ban.
The case follows a similar lawsuit filed in July by transgender runner Sadie Schreiner, who claimed Princeton University unlawfully barred her from competing in a track meet. The NCAA declined to comment on the litigation.
