‘Victory!’—Conservatives Praise Supreme Court Decision on Transgender Athletes

In a 6-3 decision Tuesday (June 30), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld state laws that ban transgender athletes from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams. The majority ruled that regulations enacted in states such as Idaho and West Virginia don’t violate the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The justices unanimously agreed that those state laws don’t violate Title IX, federal civil rights legislation. States “may determine eligibility for women’s and girls’ sports based on biological sex,” wrote Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the majority opinion. “The Constitution and Title IX do not require an overhaul of women’s and girls’ sports throughout America.” Conservatives praised the ruling, which President Donald Trump called a “BIG WIN.” Critics described the decision as unfair and exclusionary. RELATED: Evangelical Legal Group Asks Supreme Court To Overturn Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Supreme Court: Men and Women Have ‘Inherent Physical Differences’ In January, the Supreme Court heard two cases involving athletes who were born male but transitioned to female and wanted to play on female sports teams. College student Lindsay Hecox challenged Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, while high schooler Becky Pepper-Jackson challenged West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act. Lower courts had ruled in favor of both individuals. But in this week’s decision, the high court’s conservative majority permitted states to limit female sports teams to biological females. Reasons they cited include protecting athlete safety and promoting fair competition. Men and women have “inherent physical differences” that are “relevant to athletic performance,” wrote Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which is why schools maintain separate sports teams. He emphasized that the desire of all athletes to compete warrants respect, however, saying that no competitors should be “ostracized or vilified.” In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, “Men and boys with gender dysphoria are not women or girls, even if they believe that they are.” Using language to “obscure reality,” he added, “is to lie to the public and cease to treat our fellow citizens ‘as equal[s].’” RELATED: Mark Yarhouse: How Pastors Can Address Gender Identity With Compassion, Civility, and Conviction All three liberal female justices dissented, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing that the majority “inflicts a hardship on those it disfavors without giving them the fair and full opportunity the Constitution requires.” She added, “We just simply do not know scientifically that transgender students pose dangers” to other athletes. At the beginning of his second term, President Trump signed an executive order to “[keep] men out of women’s sports.” Currently, 29 states ban transgender athletes in women’s sports, as do the NCAA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees. In a 6-3 decision Tuesday (June 30), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld state laws that ban transgender athletes from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams.Click to Post