Evie Parts and Track

For many student-athletes, college sports become a defining part of their identity. For Evie Parts, a transgender woman and distance runner at Swarthmore College, athletics was where she felt affirmed, connected, and truly herself. But in February 2025, everything changed. After the NCAA implemented a policy banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports — tied to a federal executive order — Swarthmore officials told Parts she could no longer run with the women’s track team unless she joined the men’s team or competed unattached.

That exclusion was more than administrative; it was deeply personal. According to her federal lawsuit filed against the NCAA and her college, the decision stripped her of coaching support, travel, meals, and the solidarity of her teammates — inflicting emotional harm so severe that she experienced depression and self-harm ideation.

Parts’ story illuminates a broader debate raging across the U.S. about transgender inclusion in education and athletics. Her case isn’t just about eligibility — it’s about whether transgender students can fully participate in school life, sports, and community life without discrimination. Parts continues her legal fight, asserting that Title IX and state protections should prevent schools and athletic bodies from imposing exclusionary policies.

Her courage in pursuing justice — for herself and future trans athletes — highlights both the progress and resistance LGBTQ+ students continue to face in educational institutions today.

https://apnews.com/article/transgender-lawsuit-ncaa-swarthmore-parts-ed92c96c96b55fe1ec1fb0e4b02fb35e