US Supreme Court Steps Into Heated National Battle Over Transgender Athletes in Girls’ and Women’s Sports

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday entered one of the country’s most divisive cultural debates, agreeing to hear cases challenging state bans on transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports. The move places the conservative-dominated court at the center of a national dispute over fairness, inclusion and civil rights.

The cases originate from Idaho and West Virginia, two Republican-led states that passed laws restricting participation based on sex assigned at birth. Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, approved in 2020, and West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act, passed in 2021, both aim to block transgender athletes from female competitions.

However, lower courts halted enforcement of both laws. In Idaho, a transgender university athlete sued the state, and judges ruled the law violated the Constitution’s equal protection clause. In West Virginia, a middle school student challenged her exclusion from a girls’ track team. An appeals court found the ban discriminatory and said it breached Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education.

The dispute reflects a growing national divide. More than two dozen US states have enacted similar restrictions in recent years. Supporters argue the measures protect fairness and safety in women’s sports. Critics counter that the laws unfairly target transgender youth and deny them equal opportunities.

The debate intensified last year after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at barring transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s teams. The order allows federal agencies to withdraw funding from schools that permit such participation. Trump framed the move as a defense of women’s athletics, calling it a decisive end to what he described as a threat to women’s sports.

Public attention previously focused on University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, whose participation in women’s collegiate competitions in 2022 sparked nationwide controversy. Following a federal investigation, UPenn later agreed to bar transgender athletes from its women’s teams after being found in violation of Title IX.

With a 6–3 conservative majority, the Supreme Court has recently backed restrictions affecting transgender rights. The justices are expected to deliver a ruling by June or early July, a decision likely to shape the future of women’s sports across the United States.