Supreme Court to rule on state bans on transgender students' participation in girls' and women's sports


The Supreme Court wades into the legal fight over state laws that ban transgender athletes from competing in girls and women’s school and college sports.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday waded into the legal fight over state laws that ban transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women’s school and college sports, taking up cases from West Virginia and Idaho.
The court will hear cases involving two transgender students, Becky Pepper-Jackson and Lindsay Hecox, who challenged state bans in West Virginia and Idaho, respectively.
Both won injunctions that allow them to continue to compete in sports. Pepper-Jackson, now 15, takes puberty blocking medication, while Hecox, a 24-year-old college student, has received testosterone suppression and estrogen treatments.
The court’s decision to hear the case comes two weeks after the conservative majority delivered a major blow to transgender rights by upholding a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming care for young people. In doing so, the court left various legal questions about transgender rights unresolved.
"Categorically excluding kids from school sports just because they are transgender will only make our schools less safe and more hurtful places for all youth," said Joshua Block, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, who is part of the legal team representing both students. "We believe the lower courts were right to block these discriminatory laws, and we will continue to defend the freedom of all kids to play.”
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