US Supreme Court upholds ban on transgender athletes on girls' teams
The ruling would affect school and college competitions. It is argued that states must separate biological differences in sports
The US Supreme Court, with a conservative majority, ruled Tuesday to uphold state laws that prohibit transgender athletes from participating on girls' teams in school and college competitions.
For more than three hours, the justices considered the lawsuits filed by Becky Pepper-Jackson, a high school student in Virginia Western; and Lindsay Hecox, a student at the University of Idaho, who argue that the exclusion of transgender people from women's teams is unconstitutional and discriminatory.
At least five of the six conservative Supreme Court justices ruled that the state laws do not violate the Constitution or impair the interests protected by Title IX, the landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in any federal school or educational program.
Although there is no definitive date for the publication of the ruling, the high court usually ruling publishes its decisions in June, before the end of the judicial year.
The would affect all transgender athletes who compete in school and college sports in the United States and also similar laws and measures in 25 other states where their participation is prohibited.
Lower courts previously ruled in favor of the two young women, who challenged the state bans, but the conservative-majority Supreme Court (6-3) does not appear likely to follow suit.
This legal battle is part of the broader campaign by President Donald Trump's administration against transgender people.
Upon returning to power in January 2015, Trump signed an executive order mandating the recognition of only two sexes (male and female) and requiring that only the sex assigned at birth be recognized on official documents, a decision that sparked outrage from the LGBTQ+ movement and led to lawsuits seeking to halt the measure.
During the Supreme Court hearing, The Trump Administration argued that states should separate their sports teams based on this criterion due to the “real biological differences between men and women.” Trump, during a speech in Detroit this Tuesday,said it is “unbelievable” that these cases have reached the Supreme Court. "This is ridiculous. It's disrespectful to women. Can you imagine 20 years ago talking about men competing in women's sports?" the president asserted.