US Supreme Court upholds ban on transgender participation in women's sports
The US Supreme Court has confirmed the right of states to protect women's sports from participation by biological males.
On June 30, the US Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of laws in Idaho and West Virginia prohibiting transgender girls and women from competing on women's school and college sports teams, according to the Associated Press.
The decision was made by the court's conservative majority. The justices ruled that such bans do not contradict the US Constitution. In addition, the court unanimously agreed that these provisions do not violate the federal law Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational institutions.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the court, stated that states have the right to «preserve women's and girls' sports for biological females» when matters of safety and fair competition are at stake.
According to him, the Constitution and Title IX do not require a nationwide revision of the rules governing women's and girls' sports. Thus, the Supreme Court effectively upheld the right of states to independently restrict the participation of transgender athletes in women's teams.
AP notes that this ruling is yet another Supreme Court decision affecting the rights of transgender people, and may influence similar laws and legal disputes in other states.
