The Supreme Court Must Find the Courage to Defend the Truth on Women’s Sports

When it comes to protecting female athletes, none of us should remain on the sidelines.

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Protesters hold placards outside the Supreme Court, on the day justices are expected to hear oral arguments in two cases concerning efforts to enforce Republican-backed state laws banning transgender athletes from female sports teams at public schools, in Washington, D.C., January 13, 2026.

Tyrone Siu/Reuters

In September 2022, I had been looking forward to my next big step in life — heading off to college on a softball scholarship. But that dream came to an abrupt halt: During a girls’ volleyball game against a rival high school, I sustained traumatic head and neck injuries from being struck by a ball spiked by an opposing-team member, a male who identified as female.

While my sports dreams were gone for good, I knew that I didn’t want any other woman to experience that kind of physical pain and crushing heartbreak. That’s why I decided to stand outside the Supreme Court on January 13 while attorneys presented their oral arguments in two pivotal cases on men in women’s sports.

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About the Author

Payton McNabb

Payton McNabb is a sports ambassador for Independent Women and former three-sport high school athlete.

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