ACLU says biological male athletes who identify as females won't 'end' women's sports: 'Trans women are WOMEN'

The American Civil Liberties Union has launched a campaign in support of transgender student-athletes, saying it's "pure discrimination" to prevent them from competition.

But while the organization backs transgender boys and girls, it's specifically pointing out that "girls who are transgender are girls. Period."

The campaign, which people can sign, is using Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood — a pair of biological males who identify as females and who've dominated girls' high school sprint evens in Connecticut — as flashpoints.

Here's a clip of Miller winning the 2018 Connecticut high school girls' 100-meter dash in a meet-record time of 11.72 seconds with Yearwood coming in second:

Terry Miller of Bulkeley wins the 100m girls dash i. 11.72 (meet record). Andraya Yearwood of Cromwell 2nd, RHAM’s Bridget Lalonde 3rd #cttrack pic.twitter.com/4GmLRyicDI

— GameTimeCT (@GameTimeCT) June 4, 2018

"But as champions on the track, they face harmful attacks rather than the accolades they deserve," the ACLU campaign says. "While Andraya and Terry's teammates and coaches support them, some cisgender athletes want to keep them out of girls' sports."

More from the campaign:

The marginalization of trans student-athletes is rooted in the same kind of gender discrimination and stereotyping that has held back cisgender women athletes. Transgender girls are often told that they are not girls (and conversely transgender boys are told they are not really boys) based on inaccurate stereotypes about biology, athleticism, and gender. As a result, transgender athletes – particularly Black transgender women – face systemic barriers to participation in athletics and all aspects of public life. This exclusion contributes to the high rates of homelessness, suicidality and violence that Black trans women and girls face.

Selina Soule, a biological female athlete from Connecticut, isn't down with Miller and Yearwood competing against her and other biological girls, saying "we are not physically able to be competitive against" them.

More broadly, the ACLU came out in favor of transgender women competing against biological women, saying it wouldn't "end" women's sports — and declaring that "trans women are WOMEN": 

Other transgender females who are beating biological female athletes

Transgender cyclist Rachel McKinnon, a biological male, placed first in a female cycling world championship competition last fall — the UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships in Los Angeles, besting Carolien Van Herrikhuyzen of the Netherlands and Jennifer Wagner of the United States.

New Zealand transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard won gold medals earlier this month at the Pacific Games in Samoa. Hubbard — a biological male — also won two silver medals in a women's world championship two years ago.

Pushback

Equal participation in athletics for transgender people does not mean an end to women’s sports.

Trans women are WOMEN. pic.twitter.com/VFbbNhGV09

— ACLU (@ACLU) July 30, 2019

But a New Zealand women's rights group isn't happy about Hubbard's victories and is calling on the country's Olympic committee to "defend women's sport."

Researchers said in a peer-reviewed study published earlier this monththat the International Olympic Committee's mandated testosterone level for transgender women is still "significantly higher" than that of biological women.

And women's tennis legend Martina Navratilova — who earlier this year was kicked off an advisory board for LGBTQ athletes after saying transgender women competing against biological women is "insane and cheating" — hit back Tuesday against the ACLU's campaign.

"So self ID is all it takes to you?" Navratilova replied to an ACLU's tweet on the matter. "Really?"