U.S. Supreme Court upholds ban on transgender athletes in women's sports

A rally outside the US Supreme Court after the ruling on transgender athletes in women’s sports. Photo: Alex Wroblewski / AFP

On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the legality of laws in Idaho and West Virginia banning transgender girls and women from competing on female school and college sports teams, the Associated Press reported.

The ruling was issued by the Court’s conservative majority. The justices held that such bans do not violate the US Constitution. The Court also unanimously agreed that the measures do not violate Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational institutions.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the Court, said states have the right to “preserve women’s and girls’ sports for biological females” when issues of safety and fair competition are involved.

According to him, neither the Constitution nor Title IX requires the rules for women’s and girls’ sports to be rewritten nationwide. The Supreme Court thus effectively upheld the right of states to independently restrict the participation of transgender athletes in women’s teams.

AP notes that the ruling is the latest US Supreme Court decision involving transgender rights and may affect similar laws and legal disputes in other states.

As the UOJ previously reported, a transgender schoolgirl in the Netherlands was arrested over a double murder.

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