A transgender woman has filed a lawsuit against fitness company CrossFit after it barred her from competing as a female in an annual strength competition.
CNN reports 34-year-old personal trainer Chloie Johnson is suing for discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress and unfair competition after the company stated entrants must compete as the gender they were born.
Johnson says she was born a male, but underwent sex reassignment surgery in 2006 and is now legally recognized a female in California. But the athletic company refuses to recognize the transition. (ViaYouTube / NorthernSpiritX)
CrossFit, which hosts separate competitions for males and females, says it is just trying to be fair to the other competitors and Johnson is still allowed to compete as a male.
But according to TMZ, CrossFit sent Johnson a snarky letter explaining its decision to not allow her to compete is based on an "understanding of the human genome, of fundamental biology, that [Johnson is] either intentionally ignoring or missed in high school."
CrossFit adds transgender athletes are "welcomed with open arms" but its decision to not allow Johnson to compete is based on its "commitment to ensure the fairness of the competition." (ViaYouTube / CrossFit)
Transgender athletes have faced similar hurdles before and many athletic organizations have implemented policies addressing them, such as the International Olympic Committee, which requires an athlete to have undergone reassignment surgery and hormone treatment for a period of time before being allowed to compete as the gender with which they identify. (Via Trans Athlete)
A date for the trial has not been set, but Johnson is seeking $2.5 million for alleged emotional distress she suffered.
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