This week, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that states can protect female-only sports. In a 6-3 decision on West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox, the court has defended female athletes like me—and our right to fair play.
Coming on the heels of Women’s Sports Week and the 54th anniversary of Title IX, the federal statute that enshrined the right to sex-separate spaces and opportunities in education, the ruling is a victory for female athletes across America.
These two cases involved transgender-identified males demanding to compete in women’s sports categories. In West Virginia v. B.P.J., the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued West Virginia after the state passed legislation protecting female-only sports. The legislation was meant to address a real harm: West Virginia females have been displaced in their sports more than 700 times by a trans-identified male athlete.
And in Little v. Hecox, Idaho was similarly sued for passing legislation ensuring women’s sports are female-only after two female track and cross-country athletes were forced to compete against a trans-identified male.
As a track and cross-country athlete, I know just how hard female athletes work for their wins. Early mornings, strict training regimes, and hours spent on the track are only a few of the sacrifices female athletes make to improve by just fractions of a second.
But those years of work are erased when males enter into female races. Taller, stronger, and faster, males are simply biologically different than females. No matter how many hormones or surgeries they undergo, they still have XY chromosomes and cannot change their sex.
When they win against females, these males take scholarships, titles, and other opportunities from women and girls. Girls forced to compete against males face a competition knowing they will lose, no matter how much they train. It’s the worst message to send young girls—that they are destined to lose to men in a country that refuses to recognize their unique gifts and talents as females.
This is personal for me and so many other young women who have dedicated their time and effort to excelling at their sport. My mother is an All-American athlete, and I grew up seeing her run races in our hometown. I begged my mom to run my first race when I was only in kindergarten. It took years of those early mornings and long training hours, and by college, I was running at a D1 school.
Then, my relay team was forced to compete against a trans-identified male and lose to his team. As he took his team from 6th to 2nd place in the last leg of the medley relay, slowing down only after a warning from his coach, it was clear that no amount of skill could outcompete biology.
Since then, I’ve coached high schoolers and D1 athletes in cross-country and track. I’ve seen just how hard these girls and women work to win their races. And as a coach, my job is to protect the female-only space that allows these athletes to become better people through their talents, work ethic, and grit.
That’s why this SCOTUS ruling matters. It ensures that girls who dream of winning races and beg their parents to compete have the same opportunities as boys. It protects women like the ones I’ve coached from being forced into unfair—and often dangerous—competitions against men. And as we approach America’s 250th anniversary, it means that all Americans are equal under the law.
But even with this victory, the fight for female athletics isn’t over. In 32 states without clear legislation protecting female sports, girls and women are not guaranteed their own athletic categories. Females deserve their own opportunities, no matter where they live.
And while transgender activists and organizations like the ACLU will surely claim that states like Idaho and West Virginia are excluding trans-identified athletes, the truth is that male athletes can still compete in male and co-ed categories. This SCOTUS ruling ensures that women have the same right to their own opportunities.
Simply put, males are not entitled to female spaces.
Today, I’m celebrating this win. SCOTUS has heard the pleas of women across the country and recognized the original intent of Title IX means that the female athletes of tomorrow have a future.
But I won’t stop speaking up until girls and women in all 50 states have their voices heard and all females have fair play.
