Paxton alleged that transgender athletes violate the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act in marketing female sports when biological men are allowed to compete. As attorney general, he is suing for a permanent injunction that would prevent the NCAA from platforming transgender athletes in Texas sporting events or events where Texas teams compete.

“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. “Radical ‘gender theory’ has no place in college sports.” 

There are 544,000 athletes actively competing on 19,000 teams in the NCAA. The athletic association’s president, Charlie Baker, testified to Congress earlier this month that he is personally aware of fewer than ten transgender athletes within that pool.

Paxton is considering a primary challenge against Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), as this litigation is a frequently discussed topic on social media.