The US Supreme Court has upheld laws allowing states to ban transgender women from participating in female school and college sports, marking a major decision in the country’s ongoing debate over transgender rights and athletics.
The ruling came after the court reviewed legal challenges to laws in Idaho and West Virginia, which require athletes to compete based on the sex recorded at birth. The lawsuits argued that the bans violated constitutional equal protection rights and Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education.
All nine justices agreed that the state laws do not violate Title IX. However, the court split 6-3 on the constitutional issue, with the six conservative justices ruling the bans do not breach the 14th Amendment, while the three liberal justices dissented.
Writing for the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said, “The Constitution and Title IX do not require an overhaul of women’s and girls’ sports throughout America.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in dissent, argued the ruling applied “a diminished view of equal protection” to student athletes.
The decision reinforces similar laws already adopted by more than two dozen US states. It also follows recent policy changes by the NCAA and the International Olympic Committee, both of which have restricted female competitions to biological females.
The ruling is expected to shape future legal battles over transgender participation in sports across the United States.
