A trans college long-distance runner, Evie Parts, is suing the NCAA and Swarthmore College for forcing her off the womens track team due to her gender identity.Evie Parts removal occurred on the same day the NCAA announced its ban on all trans women from womens sports. The decision marked its advance compliance withthe presidents executive orderthreatening to persecute any colleges that allow trans female athletes on womens teams. Related Trans darts player vows not to let new anti-trans ban ruin her love of the sport The lawsuit reportedly claims that the ban is illegal since the NCAA is not a government organization and thus cannot supersede Pennsylvania state law (which does not currently include a trans athlete ban) or federal Title IX regulations.We stand by the allegations in the complaint, Parts attorney, Susie Cirilli, said in a statement reported by the Associated Press. As stated in the complaint, the NCAA is a private organization that issued a bigoted policy. Swarthmore College chose to follow that policy and disregard federal and state law. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The suit also says athletic director Brad Koch and athletics officials Christina Epps-Chiazor and Valerie Gomez caused Parts to enter such a depressive state that she engaged in self-harm and in one moment told a friend she wanted to take her own life. After the NCAA announced its ban, the officials reportedly told Parts she could either compete as an unattached athlete or as a member of the mens team. The lawsuit says she was not allowed to wear her Swarthmore uniform at meets or travel with the team and also had to cover her own costs associated with competing. She could not receive medical treatment unless she was part of the mens team. In April, she was reportedly allowed back on the womens team through the end of the year when she graduated. We recognize that this is an especially difficult and painful time for members of the transgender community, including student-athletes, said a statement from Swarthmore. We worked to support Evie Parts in a time of rapidly evolving guidance, while balancing the ability for other members of the womens track team to compete in NCAA events. Given the pending litigation, we will not comment any further.The board of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) reportedly didnt consult with its own medical consultants before voting to ban all transgender women from womens sports earlier this year. Its previous policy allowed trans athletes to compete based on the criteria used by the governing bodies of individual sports.After the decision, NCAA PresidentCharlie Baker (who is also the former Republican governor of Massachusetts) said the presidents order provides a clear, national standard [that] would best serve todays student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. The NCAA covers 1,100 colleges and universities with over 530,000 student-athletes, Baker said, though he estimated that only 10 athletes in the entire association identify as trans, a number accounting for less than 0.002% of NCAA athletes nationwide.Earlier this month, another trans student-athlete who filed a similar lawsuit against a private California university and two college athletic associations after her volleyball scholarship was revoked, claiming that both her race and gender identity were turned against her. If this story affected you, just know you are not alone. TheTrans Lifeline Hotlineoffers support to trans/nonbinary people struggling with mental health from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. PST Monday-Friday. Call (877) 565-8860 to be connected to a trans/nonbinary peer operator and receive full anonymity and confidentiality. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth ages 24 and younger, can be reached at (866) 488-7386.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.