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The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states have the authority to prohibit transgender women from participating in female athletics at the school and collegiate levels.
This decision stems from legal challenges brought by students in Idaho and West Virginia, who contested laws mandating that public school and college sports teams must align with the sex assigned at birth.
One of the lawsuits argues that these bans infringe upon equal rights protections enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, while the other claims they violate civil rights legislation.
Since Idaho implemented such a law in 2020, over two dozen states have followed suit.
Under these regulations, transgender women, individuals assigned male at birth who identify as female, are barred from competing in women’s sports at educational institutions.
Lindsay Hecox, a long-distance runner, filed a lawsuit against Idaho’s legislation shortly after its enactment.
Both a district court and an appellate court initially granted her an injunction against the law.
State Representative Barbara Ehardt, who sponsored the legislation, asserted that the law was necessary to ensure “boys and men cannot displace girls and women in sports, as it is unjust.”
However, in their ruling, a panel of three judges determined that the Idaho law infringed upon constitutional rights, stating that the state failed to demonstrate that its ban effectively safeguards “sex equality and opportunities for female athletes.”
President Donald Trump has made the topic of transgender athletes in women’s sports a focal point of his 2024 election campaign.
Last year, he enacted an executive order aimed at prohibiting transgender women from competing on female teams.
In response to this ruling, the NCAA, the governing body for college athletics in the U.S., has also instituted a ban on transgender women participating in women’s sports.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong