WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld laws in West Virginia and Idaho that bar transgender athletes from competing on school sports teams that align with their gender identity, a decision that leaves similar policies in place across more than two dozen states.
The justices ruled the bans do not violate Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause. The decision comes nearly a year after the court allowed Tennessee to enforce a separate law restricting puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors.
J. Gia Loving, co-director of the Genders and Sexualities Alliance Network, said the ruling denies transgender students meaningful opportunities.
“Cases like this try to create moral panic,” Loving said. “But what they’re actually doing is threatening the entire next generation’s access to a full school experience — a full sports and physical exercise experience — because we know sports are not just an exclusive experience for athletes.”
Data from the Movement Advancement Project shows that half of transgender youths ages 13 to 17 live in states with laws preventing them from playing on teams consistent with their gender identity. The ruling applies only to the 27 states with active bans.
Some lawmakers argued the issue should be left to athletic organizations rather than the courts. The International Olympic Committee has adopted a policy similar to West Virginia’s, set to take effect for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games.
Isa Noyola, director of the Transgender Law Center, said the public conversation often overlooks the broader value of sports.
“Everyone should experience this aspect of life, and it shouldn’t be at a cost of discrimination to a group of people,” Noyola said. “There’s a broader messaging that needs to be shared more. There’s not a lot of airtime for that. Politicians have continued to latch onto a small aspect of it.”
Noyola said advocacy groups will continue challenging the policies, emphasizing that discrimination undermines the spirit of sportsmanship. She added that those frustrated by the ruling should remember that long-term change takes time.
Seeking justice, she said, “is a marathon, not a sprint.”
