The Supreme Court announced Thursday it will hear two cases involving state laws preventing boys from competing in girls’ sports, a key issue in the nationwide battle over transgenderism.
The justices are set to determine the constitutionality of laws in Idaho and West Virginia barring males who identify as transgender from playing in women’s and girls’ sports leagues. A date for oral arguments has not been set, but the Court’s next term will begin in October.
“Idaho’s women and girls deserve an equal playing field,” said Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador.
“I am thrilled the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear our case. For too long, activists have worked to sideline women and girls in their own sports. Men and women are biologically different, and we hope the Court will allow states to end this injustice and ensure that men no longer create a dangerous, unfair environment for women to showcase their incredible talent and pursue the equal opportunities they deserve.”
The justices ruled 6–3 in June to uphold a Tennessee law banning irreversible transgender operations on minors. The court’s ruling was a major victory for conservatives seeking to restrict the harmful medical procedures and fight gender ideology more broadly.
“I am optimistic that after hearing the case, the Supreme Court will restore sanity to athletics and allow West Virginia to enforce its commonsense law that prevents boys from competing in girls’ sports,” said West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey (R), the state’s former Attorney General.
Men competing in women’s sports first became a national issue when University of Pennsylvania swimmer William Thomas, known as Lia Thomas, switched from the men’s team to the women’s team. Thomas broke NCAA records in 2022 and won women’s competitions by large margins after failing to break through in the men’s circuit.
In February, the NCAA changed its policy to allow only female athletes to play in women’s divisions after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning men from competing against women.
Earlier this week, UPenn apologized to female athletes and stripped Thomas of his records to settle a civil rights dispute with the Trump administration over alleged Title IX violations. UPenn’s apology represents a significant victory for conservative activists who have fought to get men out of women’s sports.
Polls have shown an overwhelming majority of Americans do not believe men should be allowed to play sports against women. Nonetheless, the phenomenon of boys playing against girls continues to come up in high school sports, with males dominating the competition due to their biological advantages.
Trump and Republican candidates nationwide seized the issue in 2024 and hammered Democrats for wanting men to play sports against women. Trump’s most effective ad of the 2024 campaign cast former Vice President Kamala Harris as the candidate for “they/them” instead of the American people.