Judge Blocks Utah Trans Sports Ban, While Probe of Athlete Emerges
A judge in Utah has blocked enforcement of the state’s transgender sports ban, days after news emerged that parents of cisgender female athletes had filed a complaint about an alleged trans competitor who turned out not to be.Judge Keith A.
Kelly in the Third District Court of Utah, located inose Salt Lake County, issued a preliminary injunction Friday against the state’s blanket ban on trans girls in girls’ school sports, meaning it can’t be enforced while a lawsuit against it proceeds.
The ban is only one section of the law passed as House Bill 11. He left the rest of the law intact, including the requirement for trans girls to go before a commission to determine their eligibility to compete in girls’ sports.“Thus, the effect of this preliminary injunction will not mean that transgender girls will automatically be eligible to compete on their school’s girls’ teams,” Kelly wrote. “Rather, it will allow them to compete only upon the commission’s determination that their being able to compete is fair under all of the circumstances.”Utah lawmakers overrode Gov.
Spencer Cox’s veto to pass the legislation in March.The injunction comes shortly after another development regarding the law.
