By Lacie Pierson, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A new West Virginia law is prohibiting an 11-year-old girl in Bridgeport from trying out for her school’s cross-country team solely because she is transgender, according to a lawsuit filed by her mother Wednesday.
The lawsuit is the first to challenge the state’s ban on transgender girls and women from participating in public school-sanctioned sports that align with their gender identity.
The West Virginia Legislature adopted the bill on April 9, and Gov. Jim Justice signed it into law on April 28.
The lawsuit makes good on a notice that the American Civil Liberties Union-West Virginia gave the same day Justice signed the bill. A tweet from the organization’s Twitter account said, “We will see West Virginia in court.”
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey wrote a Facebook post on April 11 indicating that staff members in his office were preparing for litigation to defend new state laws, including the transgender athlete ban…