Evelyn Parts, a trans-identifying female athlete, filed a lawsuit against the NCAA for prohibiting him from competing in female sports at Swarthmore College on the basis that the NCAA is not a governmental organization.
In light of the Trump administration’s efforts against male athletes competing in women’s sports, the NCAA adjusted its policy to “limit competition in women’s sports to student-athletes assigned female at birth only.”
ESPN reports that Parts “transitioned as a junior in high school,” eventually enrolling “at Swarthmore in the fall of 2020 and became a member of the women’s cross country and track teams.”
Notably, Parts “did not compete until 2023 due to cancellations from the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery from gender-affirmation surgery.” He was appointed captain of the women’s track and field team in his last two years of college.
According to ESPN, “after the NCAA amended its policy, Swarthmore gave Parts two options to continue competing in track and field: compete in men’s competition or compete unattached to the college.”
Parts is accusing the NCAA of violating his Title IX rights in a lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He claims that the NCAA does not have the legal authority to prevent him from competing in women’s sports because it is not an organization of the state government, and has no jurisdiction over Pennsylvania or US law.
The attorney representing Parts, Susie Cirilli, stands “by the allegations in the complaint. As stated in the complaint, the NCAA is a private organization that issued a bigoted policy. Swarthmore College chose to follow that policy and disregard federal and state law,” Cirilli said.
Neither the NCAA nor Swarthmore College has commented on Parts’ litigation.
