CA can keep its trans sports policy, Supreme Court rules

from Carolyn JonesCalMatters

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

California can continue its longstanding policy of allowing transgender student athletes to play on girls’ and women’s sports teams, according to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued Tuesday.

“With this decision, schools and states like California can continue to adopt inclusive policies that ensure every student is treated with dignity and respect,” said Tony Hoang, executive director of the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality California. “Inclusive policies are working across the country, including here in California, where transgender youth have participated in school sports for years without incident.”

The court is 6-3 decision allows – but does not require – states to bar transgender student-athletes from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams, following state laws in Idaho and West Virginia. Including California, 23 states allow transgender students to play on teams that match their gender identity.

Supporters of the ban also celebrated the court’s ruling, saying it was a big step forward in their fight to keep transgender athletes out of women’s sports and potentially opens the door to restrictions in the future.

“The Supreme Court just won a big victory for girls and for common sense,” said Sonja Shaw, a Chino Valley Unified school board member who is running for state superintendent. She added that “California must lead the nation in protecting girls, not forcing them to give up their rights … We will continue to fight until every girl has the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.”

California, the epicenter of the LGBTQ rights movement, has long been supportive policies that protect transgender students in K-12 schools. The California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees high school sports in the state, also allows transgender students to play on sports teams that match their gender identity.

Across the country, LGBTQ advocates decried the court’s decision as a blow to transgender rights in general, particularly in states that currently restrict — or tend to restrict — those rights.

“The SCOTUS majority’s decision reinforces the Trump administration’s widespread attack on civil rights protections and continued attempts to erase transgender people from society, including by twisting the law,” said Noreen Farrell, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates. “(We) will continue to fight for trans equality and trans rights.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.