Attorneys General Ken Paxton (Texas) and James Uthmeier (Florida) are both suing US Master’s Swimming for allowing trans-identifying biological males to compete in women’s competitions.
Uthmeier brought forth his lawsuit on July 15, while Paxton’s came the day after.
US Masters Swimming is “a national membership nonprofit that provides membership benefits to nearly 60,000 Masters swimmers across the country.”
In his suit, Florida AG James Uthmeier argued according to strict biological definitions of sex enshrined in state law.
Uthmeier further wrote that the definition of “’Sex,’ under Florida law, means ‘the classification of a person as either female or male based on the organization of the body of such person for a specific reproductive role, as indicated by the person’s sex chromosomes, naturally occurring sex hormones, and internal and external genitalia present at birth.’”
He also stated that “Florida courts have refused to extend this definition of ‘sex’ to include so-called ‘gender identity and/or expression.’”
Based on this legal definition of gender, US Masters Swimming’s policy “doesn’t guarantee that men will not compete against women,” leading Uthmeier to conclude that a policy allowing “men to compete in women’s swimming competitions also constitutes a public nuisance.”
Uthmeier demands from US Masters that the organization’s policy be corrected immediately to guarantee that it will abide by Florida law “and keep male athletes out of female competitions and locker rooms.”
In a press release issued by the Texas Attorney General Office, Paxton stated the intent of his lawsuit:
“U.S. Masters Swimming’s insane policy of allowing men to participate in women’s competitions is both deeply unfair to female competitors and unlawful,” he said. “The organization has cowered to radical activists pushing gender warfare, and it has deprived female participants of the opportunity to succeed at the highest levels by letting men win countless events. This lawsuit will hold USMS accountable for its actions, and we will continue to fight to protect the integrity of women’s sports.”
A trans-identifying man known as Ana Caldas, aged 47-years-old, won five events at a San Antonio US Masters Swimming Meet, prompting Paxton to investigate the organization for deceptive practices in May. As a result of the investigation, Paxton is suing US Masters Swimming likewise to Florida over its policy’s lenience toward biological men competing in female competitions.
