Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA. In the lawsuit, Paxton accuses the organization of misleading fans by allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s college sports.
Paxton claims the NCAA is deceiving fans who want to support athletes assigned female at birth. In the lawsuit filed Sunday, Dec. 22, he argued that the NCAA violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by permitting transgender athletes to participate in events marketed as women’s competitions.
He also accused the NCAA of further deception by failing to identify which athletes are transgender. Paxton argues this jeopardizes the safety and well-being of female athletes.
Paxton is asking the court to either limit the participation of transgender athletes in NCAA competitions held in Texas or prevent the NCAA from labeling events as “women’s sports” when they include transgender women.
In response, the NCAA issued a statement that didn’t directly address the claims in the lawsuit. However, the response reiterated its commitment to supporting women’s sports.
“The Association and its members will continue to promote Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women’s sports and ensure fair competition in all NCAA championships,” the statement read.
The lawsuit follows a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, where NCAA President Charlie Baker was questioned by lawmakers. When asked about transgender athletes, Baker said he’s aware of fewer than 10 transgender athletes competing among the more than 500,000 athletes in NCAA sports.
