West Virginia, Idaho laws affirmed; ruling expected to affect 25–27 other states

Trump hails 'big victory'; LGBTQ advocates call it 'major defeat'

The US Supreme Court building in Washington on Tuesday. [AP]
The US Supreme Court building in Washington on Tuesday. [AP]

The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that barring transgender students from participating in girls' school sports teams is constitutionally permissible.

In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled against two transgender plaintiffs — high school student Becky Pepper-Jackson, 16, and college student Lindsay Hecox, 25 — who had separately challenged laws in West Virginia and Idaho.

The West Virginia law, enacted in 2021, defines sex as based "solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth." Idaho's 2020 law states that sports "designated for women" cannot be open to students of the male sex.

The majority opinion held that neither law violates the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause nor Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.

The ruling overturns lower court decisions and directly applies only to the two states where the lawsuits were filed, but it is expected to affect up to 27 other states with similar laws or regulations in place.

According to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ advocacy foundation, 25 states — including Texas, Florida and North Carolina — have enacted laws prohibiting transgender students from competing in sports consistent with their gender identity. Two others, Virginia and Alaska, enforce similar bans through regulations or institutional policies.

President Donald Trump has sought to extend a nationwide ban on transgender athletes in women's sports through a voter ID bill that passed the House but has stalled in the Senate.

Trump welcomed the ruling on his Truth Social platform, calling it a "big victory" and declaring that "that ridiculous situation" — transgender participation in women's sports — "is now over."

Pepper-Jackson, one of the two plaintiffs, had competed in cross-country running, shot put and discus throw in girls' events while receiving puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The other plaintiff, Hecox, also underwent hormone therapy but was denied a spot on a women's track and field team.

US media outlets had widely anticipated a ruling against the plaintiffs, given the court's conservative majority, which has held that transgender participation in girls' school sports undermines women's safety and fairness.

CNN called the decision "a major defeat for the LGBTQ movement," noting it came one year after the justices allowed states to ban gender-affirming medical care — including puberty blockers and hormone therapy — for minors.

Last year, the Supreme Court upheld a state law banning gender-transition treatment for transgender minors. Earlier this year it blocked a California regulation requiring schools to notify parents and use students' preferred pronouns.

Also last year, the court allowed Trump administration policies banning transgender individuals from military service and prohibiting them from listing their gender identity on passports.


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