Texas Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against USMS for Transgender Participation; USMS Responds
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced that a lawsuit has been filed against United States Masters Swimming in regards to how the organization conducted its 2025 Spring National Champinships. The Texas Attorney General’s office claims that USMS has “engaged in false, deceptive, and misleading practices by allowing me to compete in women’s events.”
USMS was quick to respond to the allegations, sending a letter to its membership that addresses the situation.
The lawsuit follows an investigation by Paxton’s office following reports that a transgender woman competed in women’s events at Nationals.
“U.S. Masters Swimming’s insane policy of allowing men to participate in women’s competitions is both deeply unfair to female competitors and unlawful,” Paxton said. “The organization has cowered to radical activists pushing gender warfare, and it 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.”
Earlier this month, USMS implemented an interim policy that addressed transgender women competing in women’s events. In response to the lawsuit filed by Paxton, USMS released the following statement, which includes the steps the organization recently took in regards to its interim policy.
“The Texas Office of the Attorney General notified U.S. Masters Swimming on May 19 that it was conducting an investigation into policies pertaining to transgender athlete participation in USMS competitions. USMS has been cooperating fully with the investigation and has been working with the Texas Office of the Attorney General to hopefully reach an agreement about the policy. USMS implemented an interim eligibility policy on July 1 in response to feedback from our members and the Attorney General’s office and in line with our partnership with World Aquatics, which USMS is a member federation of.
“USMS surprisingly learned yesterday via social media that the Texas Office of the Attorney General filed a lawsuit against USMS and the five LMSCs that operate in the State of Texas. USMS is currently reviewing the allegations.
“To be clear, under USMS’s policy (which aligns with World Aquatics policy), trans women are not eligible to receive records, Top 10 times, or awards in the women’s category at all USMS-sanctioned events, and trans men are eligible for those competitive recognition programs in the men’s category. Moreover, trans women swimming in the women’s category do not displace other women from participating or receiving recognition in any USMS event. USMS policies referenced have been publicly posted on our website since 2012 and are outlined in our annually published Code of Regulations. More information about USMS’s interim eligibility policy can be found in our FAQs.
“USMS is a national nonprofit community of adult swimmers focused on health and fitness. 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.
“USMS will continue to cooperate fully with the Texas Office of the Attorney General and to uphold the values that have guided our community for more than 50 years.
“For further updates, you can view our Community thread on this topic. Due to the ongoing nature of this lawsuit, USMS will not respond to individual questions.”
Sincerely,
Dawson Hughes, CEO, U.S. Master Swimming
Ed Coates, President, U.S. Masters Swimming
