PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania’s interscholastic athletic group’s revised position on transgender athletes is “unnecessary and unlawful,” advocates say. Several groups, including the Women’s Law Project,

Kristina Moon, a senior attorney at the Education Law Center, said the changes violate state and federal civil rights protections for transgender students.

The Women's Law Project and other groups argued that the executive order from the Trump administration does not carry the force of law or supersede state or federal law.

The recent updates to Pennsylvania’s gender policy on high school sports won’t stop a transgender athlete from racing against girls in the state championships.

The Philadelphia School District has indicated that it will ignore a rule directing schools to ban transgender athletes from participating in sports that match their gender identities. The move comes after the state’s interscholastic athletics governing body changed a key policy regarding transgender athletes.

The PIAA voted to remove a policy that had deferred to school principals to determine an athlete’s “gender” when “questioned or uncertain,” and instead approved one that officials said was

Schools in Philadelphia will continue allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls sports after Pennsylvania changed its policy to prevent it from happening.