The US supreme court ruled that two states, West Virginia and Idaho, can continue to bar transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams. The decision upholds laws in these states, which had been a priority for the Trump administration and anti-trans campaigners.
According to the report, the ruling will likely be used to expand exclusionary policies, leaving the issue of trans inclusion in athletics far from settled. They have passed restrictions on trans youth athletes in twenty-five other states, and the ruling strengthens those.
The president called the decision a “BIG WIN … against men playing in women’s sports”, writing on social media that it takes the “ridiculous situation” off the table.
The court did not say that trans students were broadly excluded from all Title IX protections, and the justices did not say that under the constitution, discrimination based on trans status is allowed. The ruling only addressed barring trans girls from sports specifically, which was found not to be unconstitutional nor a violation of Title IX.
The decision upheld laws in West Virginia and Idaho, advancing a central priority of the Trump administration and anti-trans campaigners: blocking trans girls of all ages from joining women’s sports teams.
LGBTQ+ advocates fear that the ruling will be used to erode trans rights in areas such as education, employment, and healthcare. They also warned that it could be used to directly harass individual trans athletes and people in public life, including those involved in military justice cases.
Twenty-one states, Washington DC and several territories allow trans youth to play on teams that match their gender, and those policies are not immediately affected by the ruling.
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A mother of a trans youth athlete in California, who requested anonymity, said she feared the ruling would “open the floodgates” to more challenges to inclusive policies.
In Utah, for example, officials suggested that its ban could be enforced through measurements of physical characteristics, reviews of medical records, and a diagnostic assessment from a doctor. A US appeals court noted that Idaho’s law allowed for anyone to question a student’s gender, which could lead to unnecessary medical testing and genital inspections, similar to the issues seen with court warrants for skipping court.
The limited scope of the ruling is not stopping anti-trans campaigners from claiming a far-reaching win.
The president of the Alliance Defending Freedom wrote on social media: “Blue states with boys on girls’ podiums … you’re next”.
Trans youth in states such as California, which have long maintained pro-LGBTQ+ sports policies, have said they will continue playing and fighting for their rights.
It will not deter them, and they will keep playing.
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