Articles from the Constitution State
Trans school sports case redux
A US District Court judge who initially dismissed a lawsuit back in 2021 challenging Connecticut’s policy that allows trans students to compete on school sports teams has reversed his decision.
Reports CT Insider: “The four female athletes [the plaintiffs] are arguing that the policy deprived them of wins and athletic opportunities by requiring them to compete with two transgender sprinters.
“The defendants in the case, which include the CIAC, multiple Connecticut school boards, including Danbury and Canton, and sprinters Andraya Yearwood and Terry Miller, two transgender student athletes represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, had sought a dismissal of the lawsuit after it was sent back to U.S. District Court by the Court of Appeals.
“But in a 55-page ruling issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny, who initially dismissed the lawsuit in 2021, switched his stance, declining to dismiss the legal action a second time while also pointing out there is ‘little guidance’ on how courts should deal with the issue of transgender athletes.
“‘This case presents a direct conflict between two interests protected by Title IX: the interest in providing fair competition for biological females, which has long been recognized as a significant governmental interest under Title IX, and the interest in providing transgender girls with opportunities to participate in girls’ sports, which is now protected by a Connecticut state statute,’ Chatigny said in his ruling.”
Q-MoB Coffee Klatch
Q-MoB, aka Queer Men of the Berkshires, will host a Coffee Klatch event in Connecticut on January 26 and February 23. The event, which is held on the fourth Sunday of every month, takes place at ILSE Coffee in North Canaan.
The Q-MoB klatch is a fine opportunity for queer men from the area to meet and socialize in a casual coffee shop atmosphere. Attendees can come alone or with friends. Q-MoB asks for a small donation in order to help to fund their many programs and resources for queer men.
In addition, Q-MoB is seeking new cohosts for this monthly Connecticut event. They host different monthly Coffee Klatch events in eight towns, including towns in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and Connecticut, in addition to around 20 other activities each month.
More: QueerMenoftheBerkshires.org
Triangle Center rolls into 2025
Norwalk’s Triangle Community Center continues their wide variety of programming into 2025.
Their Community Dinner, where adults in the LGBTQ+ community can attend and bring friends, next takes place on January 30 and February 27, and continues on the last Thursdays of every month.
There’s also Gaymes Night on the first and third Friday of each month. The event is free of charge, sober and a great opportunity for members of the local LGBTQ+ community to meet up and play a variety of games. (They can even bring their own games.) The event next takes place on January 5 and 19, and February 2 and 16.
The Triangle Community Center also hosts many other events, including but not limited to a YAS! Young Adult Space group, Nerd Night, PFLAG meetings, Nonbinary Support & Discussion, Triangle Transgender Society, Alcoholics Anonymous groups, Narcotics Anonymous groups and more.
TCC’s mission is “to support LGBTQ competency trainings for education, service providers and others in addition to providing care coordination services, and hosting events so that our communities are safe, and everyone in the LGBTQ community is treated with dignity and respect.”
More: ctpridecenter.org
HRC Congressional Scorecard
The Human Rights Campaign in October released its Congressional Scorecard, which measures support for LGBTQ+ equality in the 118th US Congress. Once again, Senators and Representatives from New England earned a near-perfect score.
Scores are based on an assessment of each Senator’s and US Representative’s votes on key LGBTQ+ issues as well as their support for (or lack therefore of) LGBTQ+ communities.
Senators Richard Blumenthal and Christopher Murphy, both Democrats, received perfect 100s. The state’s Congressmembers John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes and Jahana Hayes, all Democrats, also earned perfect scores.
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