A Utah judge has blocked a state law barring male-born athletes from competing in female scholastic sports, sending decisions on athletic eligibility to a newly created special commission.
Third District Court Judge Keith Kelly granted the preliminary injunction Friday sought by three teens who were born male but identify as female, saying that the state law discriminates on the basis of sex because it “classifies individuals based on transgender status and, therefore, on sex.”
Unlike similar laws in other states, however, the Utah statute known as House Bill 11 contains a trigger clause that creates a School Activity Eligibility Commission to make determinations on a case-by-case basis if the law is invalidated or paused by an injunction.