A transgender athlete is suing Swarthmore College and the NCAA after being removed from the women’s track team due to a rule change tied to President Trump’s executive order. The case underscores growing legal conflicts over gender identity, women’s sports, and federal protections.
Evelyn “Evie” Parts, a male-born athlete identifying as female, filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Parts was removed from Swarthmore’s women’s team in February 2025 after the NCAA implemented a policy barring biological males from competing in female athletic categories. The new NCAA rule followed a directive issued by President Trump aimed at restoring protections for women’s sports.
Swarthmore informed Parts that competition could only continue on the men’s team or as an “unattached” runner. This reclassification stripped access to team facilities, coaching, medical support, and travel accommodations. Parts had served as captain of the women’s cross-country team and began hormone therapy in high school.
The lawsuit alleges violations of Title IX and Pennsylvania’s Human Relations Act, claiming the policy is discriminatory and unlawful. It asserts that the NCAA, as a private organization, does not have authority to bypass federal civil rights law. Legal documents argue that Parts’ documentation—driver’s license, Social Security, and birth certificate—legally affirms a female identity, and that disqualification caused severe emotional harm, including suicidal ideation and self-harm.
Despite being reinstated in April following legal pressure, Parts is pursuing financial damages and reimbursement for expenses incurred while competing independently. The lawsuit criticizes the NCAA policy as “bigoted” and part of a broader attack on transgender athletes.
The policy change has been welcomed by advocates of women’s sports who argue that biological males have innate physiological advantages that undermine fairness. Multiple states and federal agencies have backed measures to protect female-only sports from forced inclusion of male-born competitors.
Recent polling shows strong public support for preserving single-sex sports categories. The case against Swarthmore is part of a growing number of legal challenges nationwide as institutions navigate conflicting state and federal mandates related to gender identity and athletics.
