WASHINGTON (TNND) — Evie Parts, a transgender individual and 2025 graduate of Swarthmore College, has initiated legal proceedings against both Swarthmore and the NCAA after facing a temporary suspension from the women’s track and field team. This action arose from the implementation of a policy that prohibits biological males from competing against female athletes.
The lawsuit, filed last week in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, highlights the experiences of Parts, who was part of the women’s cross-country and track teams from 2023 until her graduation. Although she was a regular member of the team, she found herself barred from participating in events starting in February due to the NCAA’s new policy, which was conceived in reaction to a controversial executive order from former President Donald Trump titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
In light of this policy, Swarthmore offered Parts the alternative of either joining the men’s team or competing independently, thereby losing access to university support services such as coaching and medical assistance. During this interim period, she participated in two meets without being officially associated with the college.
Despite these challenges, Parts was reinstated to the women’s team on April 11, allowing her to compete in three subsequent races leading up to her graduation in May. The suit denounces the NCAA’s rules as “bigoted” and accuses Swarthmore of “outrageous, reckless and wanton misconduct in violation of state and federal law” for its handling of her situation. Parts claims that the treatment by the coaching staff contributed to a severe depressive state, causing her distress to the point of contemplating self-harm.
This lawsuit marks the third case filed by a transgender athlete against their college within the past month. Parts’ attorney, Susie Cirili, emphasized the gravity of the allegations in a statement to Fox News Digital. “As stated in the complaint, the NCAA is a private organization that issued a bigoted policy. Swarthmore chose to follow that policy and disregard federal and state law,” Cirili asserted.
In response, Swarthmore College released a statement indicating its deep commitment to fostering a supportive environment for transgender students. The statement read, “We deeply value our transgender community members and the many ways they enrich campus life. We recognize that this is an especially difficult and painful time for members of the transgender community, including student-athletes.” The college further explained that it aimed to assist Parts while navigating a swiftly changing set of regulatory guidelines while also balancing the competitive opportunities for other members of the women’s track team.
The National News Desk has reached out to the NCAA for their official comment on the lawsuit.
