A transgender athlete has taken legal action against the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Swarthmore College after being excluded from competing with the women's track team.
Evie Parts filed the lawsuit against the sporting body and her Pennsylvania university, along with several athletics department officials including head coach Peter Carroll and athletic director Brad Koch.
The long-distance runner claims her removal in February was unlawful and violated both federal legislation and Pennsylvania state regulations.
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Parts' legal representative, Susie Cirilli, stated: "We stand by the allegations in the complaint. As stated in the complaint, the NCAA is a private organisation that issued a bigoted policy. Swarthmore College chose to follow that policy and disregard federal and state law."
Evie Parts is suing the NCAA for their new policy
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Her legal team argues the NCAA lacks the authority to implement transgender athlete restrictions as it operates as a private entity rather than a government body.
The complaint names athletics officials Christina Epps-Chiazor and Valerie Gomez alongside the institutional defendants.
Parts was excluded from the team on February 6, coinciding with the NCAA's announcement of its revised transgender participation guidelines.
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The new regulations restrict women's sports participation to those designated female at birth, a change implemented one day after Donald Trump enacted an executive order targeting transgender athletes in female sporting categories.
The lawsuit contends the NCAA cannot enforce such restrictions given its non-governmental status and consequent lack of jurisdiction over Title IX federal provisions or Pennsylvania legislation.
The exclusion triggered devastating psychological consequences for Parts, with the lawsuit alleging she experienced such profound depression that she resorted to self-injury and expressed suicidal thoughts to a friend.
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New NCAA rules mean only women designated female at birth can participate
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Following her removal, university officials offered Parts limited alternatives - either joining the men's team or participating as an independent competitor.
Medical support would only be provided if she agreed to compete alongside male athletes, according to the legal filing.
The complaint details additional restrictions: coaching staff were prohibited from training her, she was barred from team travel and uniforms, and required to fund her own competition entries.
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Parts received no meal allowances or travel expenses while excluded from the women's squad.
The institution eventually restored Parts to full team status on April 11, allowing her to represent the women's squad until her graduation in May.
Her case follows similar legal challenges, including a July lawsuit by transgender athlete Sadie Schreiner against Princeton University after being prevented from competing at a university-hosted athletics meeting.
Evie Parts is also suing Swarthmore College
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Pennsylvania's Senate passed legislation in May by 32-18 votes to prohibit transgender participation in female sports across educational institutions, though the Democratic-led House appears unlikely to advance the measure.
Swarthmore released a statement acknowledging the "especially difficult and painful time for members of the transgender community" while declining further comment due to ongoing litigation.
The NCAA has not responded to the legal challenge.