A transgender woman is suing CrossFit after the fitness company banned her from competing in the women’s division of the CrossFit Games.
Chloe Jonnson, a CrossFit athlete and personal trainer, is suing the company for $2.5 million, claiming that they are violating her rights as a woman and discriminating against transgender people, reports CNN.
CrossFit is firing back by saying that it has nothing to do with discrimination, rather they simply can’t let her compete due to the fact that she was born a man and it wouldn’t be fair to the other competitors.
“The fundamental, ineluctable fact is that a male competitor who has a sex reassignment procedure still has a genetic makeup that confers a physical and physiological advantage over women,” CrossFit said in a letter reportedly sent to Jonnson, according to TMZ.
According to the lawsuit, Jonnson, who is 5’4’’ and 151 pounds, is recognized by the state of California as a woman. She had sex reassignment surgery in 2006 and should therefore be considered female by CrossFit.
“Our decision has nothing to do with 'ignorance' or being bigots -- it has to do with a very real understanding of the human genome, of fundamental biology, that you are either intentionally ignoring or missed in high school,” CrossFit’s letter went on to say.
According to CNN, Jonnson said in a statement, “If I am going to be forced to out myself, I want it to be for the good for all [transgender] people and athletes -- not because of a company's discriminatory policies."