A transgender runner has filed suit against SUNY Geneseo and the NCAA, alleging she was excluded from a collegiate race solely because of her gender identity.[1] The case lands amid a storm of shifting policies, pro-athletics governance, and growing litigation over eligibility in women’s sports.
The complaint claims violations of Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause, arguing that excluding a transgender woman from women’s competition is unlawful discrimination.[2] The defendants are expected to counter that sex-segregated athletic rules are permissible, that their eligibility policies are justified to preserve fairness, and that courts should defer to institutional authority over technical rules.
What makes this lawsuit timely is that the NCAA recently overhauled its transgender participation policy. As of February 2025, the NCAA now bars athletes assigned male at birth from competing in women’s sports, even if they identify as female, though such athletes may still practice with women’s teams.[3] That change marks a sharp turn from prior policies that allowed competition under hormone-level or transition criteria.[4]
The NCAA’s policy change makes the SUNY case more than an isolated dispute; it could be the first real test of whether gender eligibility rules can withstand judicial review. If a court finds that a blanket exclusion is unjustified or violates constitutional or statutory rights, it could force sports programs to reexamine how they enforce gender eligibility.
Litigation over transgender inclusion in sports is growing. That trend is not unique to NCAA settings. Across sports from amateur to elite, governing bodies have been wrestling with eligibility testing. The controversy over whether such rules are scientifically sound, consistently applied, and procedurally fair has implications beyond one race or one court. A recent example is the case of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who faced eligibility challenges and public scrutiny on the international stage despite ultimately being cleared to compete at the Paris Olympics. Her experience, which I covered here, highlights how opaque or inconsistent rules can damage athletes and governing bodies alike.
The SUNY / NCAA case may become a bellwether: Will American collegiate athletics adopt the same high-stakes eligibility testing seen in global federations? Or will courts demand more flexibility, transparency, and process when rules exclude athletes based on gender identity?
[1] NCAA, SUNY Sued After Blocking Trans Runner From Race, Law360 (Sept. 2025).
[2] Id.
[3] NCAA Board of Governors revised policy (Feb. 6, 2025) to bar athletes assigned male at birth from women’s competition. NCAA.org
[4] The NCAA’s earlier transgender participation policy permitted competition with hormone-level or transition requirements. Parker Poe
Law student at the University at Buffalo.
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