U.S. Masters Swimming, which allowed men to compete in women’s events, said that it was fully cooperating with the attorney general’s investigation.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued an adult swimming organization last week after it allowed male athletes who identify as transgender to compete at a women’s spring meet in San Antonio. One of the males won multiple events.
Paxton’s July 16 suit contains five counts of legal allegations against U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS), stating that it “undermined the trust of consumers through false, deceptive, and misleading practices.”
The suit alleges that USMS created “confusion or misunderstanding as to the source, sponsorship, approval, or certification of goods or services” by leading consumers to believe the events were open to “biological women” only.
It said the defendants failed to disclose that their “women’s sporting events were actually mixed sporting events” that allowed men who identified as women to compete.
The lawsuit also alleges that USMS “knew that if consumers knew that males were competing in their women’s competitions,” then “biological females” would forgo participation in the events.
Paxton’s suit also operates as a lien notice on the swimming organization’s property within Texas.
In filing the lawsuit, the attorney general is asking the court for $10,000 in civil penalties, permanent injunctive relief, attorneys’ fees and expenses, and “any and all further relief to which the State may be entitled.”
USMS responded to Paxton’s allegations in a statement, saying it was fully cooperating with the attorney general’s investigation.
“It is deeply disappointing to see our organization and individual members publicly targeted in a lawsuit that appears to be more about generating headlines than seeking justice,” it said in the statement.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed executive orders aimed at banning transgender-identifying athletes from participating in women’s sports.
In a July 17 statement, Paxton said USMS “has deprived female participants of the opportunity to succeed at the highest levels by letting men win countless events.”
“This lawsuit will hold USMS accountable for its actions, and we will continue to fight to protect the integrity of women’s sports,” Paxton said.
His lawsuit notes that Ana Caldas placed first in the five events in the 45–49 age group and that Jennifer Rines finished ahead of dozens of women. Both are males who identify as transgender.
In a May guest editorial in Swimming World, Rines wrote that establishing a discrete category for athletes who identify as transgender might be the fairest approach for national events. However, Rines said publicly identifying as transgender can threaten job security and friendships.
“At what point does the level of competition justify forcing someone to out themselves or barring them from participation altogether?” Rines wrote.
Ahead of Paxton’s lawsuit, USMS had changed its policy to prevent transgender-identifying athletes from being recognized for placing in women’s events; however, it still let them compete.
The lawsuit noted that the change was “all too little, too late.”
In December 2024, Paxton sued the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), saying it was misleading consumers into believing they were watching competitions between players of only one gender.
“The NCAA is intentionally and knowingly jeopardizing the safety and wellbeing of women by deceptively changing women’s competitions into co-ed competitions,” Paxton said in a statement at the time.
“When people watch a women’s volleyball game, for example, they expect to see women playing against other women—not biological males pretending to be something they are not. Radical ‘gender theory’ has no place in college sports.”
Matt McGregor and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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