Transgender athlete Chloie Jonsson is suing fitness company CrossFit for $2.5 million in damages for not allowing her to compete in the CrossFit games as a female athlete.
Jonsson is charging the CrossFit company based on discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress and unfair competition.
CNN states that Jonsson’s lawyers are saying CrossFit is discriminating against transgender individuals. CrossFit maintains it is protecting competition and the CrossFit games are a contest geared towards finding the fittest men and women.
Jonsson has identified as a woman since her teenage years. She had sexual reassignment surgery and has been on female hormone therapy since 2006. The state of California has also recognized Jonsson as a woman.
CNN states that a teammate of Jonsson’s sent an e-mail to the CrossFir games organizers questioning whether transgender athletes could competing in the games. CrossFit determined that competitors have to compete in the gender of their birth.
Jonsson ultimately disagreed with CrossFit’s decision and her dispute escalated into a lawsuit.
Jonsson’s lawyer states that CrossFit should change the transgender policy to meet the same standards as the International Olympic Committee, which allows transgender athletes to compete in their identified gender after undergoing sexual reassignment surgery.
