US Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Transgender Women in Female School and College Sports

The US Supreme Court has ruled that states can ban transgender women from competing in women’s school and college sports.

The court considered the case of students who challenged the ban on participation in two different states. Two states, Idaho and West Virginia, have passed laws requiring public school and college sports teams to compete based on their sex at birth.

One of the two challenges claims the ban violates equal rights protections in the US Constitution. Another says it violates the Civil Rights Act.

More than two dozen states have enacted bans since Idaho did so in 2020.

Under those restrictions, a transgender woman — a biological male who identifies as a woman — is not allowed to compete in women’s sports in schools and colleges.

Long-distance runner Lindsay Hecox files lawsuit against Idaho law. Later, both the District Court and the Court of Appeal approved the order.

State Legislator Barbara Ehardt, who introduced the bill, said at the time of the bill’s passage, “Men and boys cannot take the place of women and girls in sports because it is not fair.”

But in its appeals decision, a three-judge panel found that Idaho’s law violates constitutional rights. The state failed to provide evidence that the ban would protect “gender equality and opportunities for female athletes,” he said.

President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign has been a constant focus on transgender athletes in women’s sports. Last year, he signed an executive order that proposed banning transgender women from competing on women’s sports teams.

Following that decision, the NCAA, the governing body of American college sports, barred transgender women from competing in women’s sports.