US Supreme Court to Examine Transgender Athlete Bans in Women's Sports

The US Supreme Court will review state laws banning transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports, focusing on cases from Idaho and West Virginia. This follows successful challenges by transgender students Becky Pepper-Jackson, 15, and Lindsay Hecox, 24, who secured lower court injunctions allowing them to compete.

Idaho was the first state to enact such a ban in 2020, with 24 others following suit. Hecox challenged Idaho’s law, arguing it was discriminatory, and both district and appeals courts granted injunctions. The appeals court ruled that Idaho’s law violated constitutional rights and lacked evidence to support claims of protecting "sex equality" in sports.

West Virginia’s Attorney General John McCuskey supported the Supreme Court’s review, calling the state’s law a “common sense” measure to ensure fairness in women’s sports. Conversely, the ACLU’s Joshua Block, representing the athletes, argued that such bans harm all youth by fostering exclusion in schools. The court’s decision, expected after hearings in its next term starting October 2025, could impact similar bans nationwide. This follows a recent Supreme Court ruling upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender transition care for minors, seen as a setback for transgender rights.

The issue has also reached the federal level, with President Donald Trump signing an executive order earlier this year to bar transgender women and girls from female sports teams.

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