BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – A federal lawsuit, filed late last month, on behalf on an 11-year-old transgender child from Bridgeport, is now making national headlines.

An article on Yahoo.com tells the story of Becky Pepper-Jackson, who Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU West Virginia, and Cooley LLP filed the suit on behalf of.

The West Virginia State Board of Education, the Harrison County Board of Education, the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission, State School Superintendent Clayton Burch and Harrison County School Superintendent Dora Stutler are all named as defendants in the suit, which alleges that the state’s recent law banning transgender athletes from competing in female sports is unconstitutional.

The suit involves Pepper-Jackson’s ability to compete on the Bridgeport Middle School girl’s cross country team.

“I just want to run, I come from a family of runners. I know how hurtful a law like this is to all kids like me who just want to play sports with their classmates, and I’m doing this for them. Trans kids deserve better,” said Pepper-Jackson in an ACLU-WV news release.

The suit was filed in the United States District Court in Charleston.