Latest news with #sportsEquality
The Guardian
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
US supreme court to weigh transgender student sports bans in key rights case
The US supreme court announced on Thursday that it will consider a bid by West Virginia and Idaho to enforce their state laws banning transgender athletes from female sports teams at public sector schools. The decision means the court is prepared to take up another civil rights challenge to Republican-backed restrictions on transgender people. The justices took up the state appeals of lower court decisions siding with a transgender students who sued. The students argued that the laws discriminate based on sex and transgender status in violation of the US constitution's 14th amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law as well as the Title IX civil rights law that bars sex-based discrimination in education. The supreme court is expected to hear arguments on the matter during its next term, which begins in October. A total of 27 states, most of them Republican-governed, have passed laws in recent years restricting participation in sports by transgender people. The Idaho and West Virginia laws designate sports teams at public schools according to 'biological sex' and bar 'students of the male sex' from female athletic teams. The issue of transgender rights is a flashpoint in what has become a culture war in the US. Donald Trump, upon taking back the White House, has signed executive orders declaring that the federal government will officially recognize only two sexes – male and female – as well as attempting to exclude transgender girls and women from female sports. Trump also rescinded orders by his predecessor, Joe Biden, combating discrimination against gay and transgender people. The supreme court in a major ruling in June upheld a Republican-backed ban in Tennessee on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. The 6-3 ruling powered by the court's conservative majority found that the ban does not violate the US constitution's 14th amendment promise of equal protection, as challengers to the law had argued. The challengers had argued that the measure unlawfully discriminated against these adolescents based on their sex or transgender status. The supreme court's three liberal justices dissented. The supreme court in May also allowed Trump's ban on transgender people serving in the military to take effect. The challenge to the West Virginia law was brought by Becky Pepper-Jackson and the student's mother in 2021 after Pepper-Jackson's middle school barred her from joining the girls' cross-country and track teams due to the state's ban. A federal judge ruled in Pepper-Jackson's favor at an early stage of the case, but later reversed course and sided with the state. The supreme court in 2023 refused the state's bid to enforce the law as litigation proceeded. The Richmond, Virginia-based fourth US circuit court of appeals in April threw out the judge's decision, ruling that the law's exclusion of Pepper-Jackson from girls' teams violates the Title IX law. The state law treats transgender girls differently from other girls, 'which is - literally - the definition of gender identity discrimination', the fourth circuit ruling stated, adding that this is also discrimination on the basis of sex under Title IX. The Idaho challenge was brought by Lindsay Hecox, a transgender Boise State University student who had sought to join the women's track and cross-country teams, but failed to qualify. Hecox has instead participated in sports clubs, including soccer and running, at the public university. A federal judge blocked Idaho's law in 2020, finding that Idaho's law likely violates the constitutional equal protection guarantee. The San Francisco-based ninth US circuit court of appeals upheld the judge's action in 2023 and, in an amended ruling, in 2024. The measure unlawfully discriminates based on sex and transgender status, the ninth circuit concluded. Reuters contributed reporting
The Guardian
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
US supreme court to weigh transgender student sports bans in key rights case
The US supreme court announced on Thursday that it will consider a bid by West Virginia and Idaho to enforce their state laws banning transgender athletes from female sports teams at public sector schools. The decision means the court is prepared to take up another civil rights challenge to Republican-backed restrictions on transgender people. The justices took up the state appeals of lower court decisions siding with a transgender students who sued. The students argued that the laws discriminate based on sex and transgender status in violation of the US constitution's 14th amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law as well as the Title IX civil rights law that bars sex-based discrimination in education. The supreme court is expected to hear arguments in the matter during its next term, which begins in October. A total of 27 states, most of them Republican-governed, have passed laws in recent years restricting participation in sports by transgender people. The Idaho and West Virginia laws designate sports teams at public schools according to 'biological sex' and bar 'students of the male sex' from female athletic teams. The issue of transgender rights is a flashpoint in what has become a culture war in the US. Donald Trump, upon taking back the White House, has signed executive orders declaring that the federal government will officially recognize only two sexes: male and female, as well as attempting to exclude transgender girls and women from female sports. Trump also rescinded orders by his predecessor, Joe Biden, combating discrimination against gay and transgender people. The supreme court in a major ruling in June upheld a Republican-backed ban in Tennessee on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. The 6-3 ruling powered by the court's conservative majority found that the ban does not violate the US constitution's 14th amendment promise of equal protection, as challengers to the law had argued. The challengers had argued that the measure unlawfully discriminated against these adolescents based on their sex or transgender status. The supreme court's three liberal justices dissented. The supreme court in May also allowed Trump's ban on transgender people serving in the military to take effect. The challenge to the West Virginia law was brought by Becky Pepper-Jackson and the student's mother in 2021 after Jackson's middle school barred Pepper-Jackson from joining the girls' cross country and track teams due to the state's ban. A federal judge ruled in Jackson's favor at an early stage of the case, but later reversed course and sided with the state. The supreme court in 2023 refused the state's bid to enforce the law as litigation proceeded. The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th US circuit court of appeals in April threw out the judge's decision, ruling that the law's exclusion of Jackson from girls' teams violates the Title IX law. The state law treats transgender girls differently from other girls, 'which is - literally - the definition of gender identity discrimination,' the 4th circuit ruling stated, adding that this is also discrimination on the basis of sex under Title IX. The Idaho challenge was brought by Lindsay Hecox, a transgender Boise State University student who had sought to join the women's track and cross-country teams, but failed to qualify. Hecox has instead participated in sports clubs, including soccer and running, at the public university. A federal judge blocked Idaho's law in 2020, finding that Idaho's law likely violates the constitutional equal protection guarantee. The San Francisco-based 9th US circuit court of appeals upheld the judge's action in 2023 and, in an amended ruling, in 2024. The measure unlawfully discriminates based on sex and transgender status, the 9th circuit concluded. Reuters contributed reporting.
New York Times
03-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Cases Involving Transgender Athletes
The Supreme Court announced on Thursday that it would hear two cases testing the constitutionality of state laws that bar transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports teams. The justices' decision to hear the disputes signals that the court is willing to delve back into the fraught battle over transgender rights. In June, the court, split along ideological lines, upheld a Tennessee law that banned some medical treatments for transgender youth. The cases accepted on Thursday stem from legal challenges to state laws limiting transgender athlete participation in Idaho and West Virginia. The justices agreed to hear the cases during the court's next term, which begins in early October. They have not yet set a date for oral argument. A number of individuals sued the states after each adopted laws limiting participation by transgender athletes. The challengers argue the laws violate the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection. Lower courts blocked the laws from going into effect for those who had brought court challenges, and state officials asked the justices to weigh in. The West Virginia case, West Virginia v. B.P.J., arose from a 2021 state law that barred transgender athletes from competing on girls' teams in public schools. In April 2023, the justices heard an emergency petition in the case and ruled that the transgender girl who challenged the state law could continue to compete on the girls' cross-country and track teams at her middle school in West Virginia while her appeal moved forward. The Idaho case, Little v. Hecox, involves a transgender college student at Boise State University who challenged HB 500, an Idaho law barring participation by transgender athletes.
Bloomberg
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
California Schools Risk DC Funding Cuts on Transgender Athlete Debate
Public school funding in California is at risk after the US Education Department found that the state is violating rules protecting female athletes from unfair competition and unsafe situations 'by allowing males in girls' sports and intimate spaces.' The rules, known as Title IX, require schools to provide equal opportunities for girls, including in athletic activities.
Fox News
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Riley Gaines talks public's reaction to Simone Biles' personal attack: 'Almost feel bad for her'
Riley Gaines suggested on Monday in a radio interview that she was stunned by the public's response to Simone Biles' personal attack against her. The Olympic great launched into Gaines with a post responding to the former NCAA swimmer criticizing Minnesota softball officials for turning comments off of a post celebrating a high school's state championship win with a transgender player on the team. Biles called Gaines "truly sick" among other things. But the social media reaction didn't appear to get behind the gold medalist. "To acknowledge how the public has shifted to this, look at Simone Biles' comments section, go on Instagram, go on Twitter, go on any article that's being posted, go on TikTok and she is getting absolutely demolished to the point where I almost feel bad for her, like I really do," Gaines said on "Clay & Buck." "I have read these comments, I'm like, 'oh my gosh.' I was prepared when I got that notification on my phone for that onslaught of hatred to come towards me. I was like, 'Oh gosh, she's gonna send all of her little minion people who follow her over to my page.' That is not at all what is happening. I haven't heard a single negative comment about myself following this interaction." Gaines pointed out the recent spate of transgender athletes winning championships in girls' sports across the country. "Minnesota, California, Washington, Oregon and Maine, where boys stole state qualifying spots, state championships or podium spots from deserving, hard-working girls," the OutKick contributor added. "So, the whole 'it doesn't really happen' argument, it can't stand at all when it continues to happen. "But that's the classic progression. It never really happened — that was step one. Then it slowly shifts to, 'OK, well, it is happening, but it's not happening a lot, therefore we shouldn't be concerned.' Then it progresses to, 'OK, well, it's happening, and here's why it's a good thing.' And then the final stage of it is, 'it's happening, it's a good thing, and you're going to accept it — or else." Gaines revealed the support her stance on transgender athletes in women's and girls' sports received in various comments' sections during an episode of the "Gaines for Girls" podcast. Biles has not reacted since her first post toward Gaines on Friday. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
