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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A choose on Wednesday rejected the request by Utah officers to throw out a lawsuit difficult a state ban on transgender youngsters who wish to compete in youth sports activities.
The ruling comes forward of a listening to scheduled for Thursday the place Choose Keith Kelly will assess whether or not to place the legislation handed by the Republican-majority Legislature this 12 months quickly on maintain.
Kelly dominated that the three transgender women who introduced the lawsuit have proven they’re harmed by the legislation that took impact on July 1 and subsequently have authorized standing for the case to maneuver ahead.
Thomas Lee, a former state Supreme Courtroom justice employed by the state to assist defend the ban, argued within the listening to that the women are simply “involved bystanders” who lack standing to carry the lawsuit, KUTV reported.
Mother and father of the three women and their attorneys contend within the lawsuit that the legislation wrongly retains their youngsters from collaborating in sports activities whereas violating the state structure that prohibits discrimination and ensures equal rights and due course of.
The difficulty of whether or not transgender women ought to be allowed to take part in feminine sports activities has change into flashpoint throughout the U.S. with Republican lawmakers passing legislation to block them primarily based on the premise it offers them an unfair aggressive benefit. Transgender rights advocates counter that the principles aren’t nearly sports activities, however one other method to demean and assault transgender youth.
Comparable authorized circumstances have been enjoying out in Idaho, West Virginia and Indiana.
As of March, the Utah Excessive College Actions Affiliation knew of just one transgender lady enjoying in Okay-12 sports activities who can be affected by the ban. The affiliation, which organizes leagues for 85,000 college students, has stated there have been no publicly made allegations of aggressive benefit regarding any of the state’s 4 transgender youth athletes.
