The Supreme Court issued a landmark decision on June 30, upholding state laws that blocked males from competing in female sports.
Its ruling came in response to two cases, West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Hecox v. Little, questioning whether the bans constituted illegal forms of discrimination. More specifically, transgender athletes argued that West Virginia and Idaho had violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment by classifying athletes based on sex and other characteristics.
The court disagreed and also rejected the idea that these laws violate Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education. Instead, it said, Title IX allowed states to segregate sports teams based on sex. The court unanimously ruled in favor of the states on some issues, but some of the justices dissented on whether the plaintiffs’ rights were violated….