United States President Donald Trump has welcomed a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States that upholds state laws banning transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s school sports.
Reacting on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Trump described the decision as a “big win,” writing: “The United States Supreme Court just ruled against men playing in women’s sports. Wow! That takes that ridiculous situation off the table!!!”
According to AFP, the court ruled 6-3 that the US Constitution does not prevent states from enforcing laws requiring student athletes to compete based on their sex assigned at birth rather than their gender identity.
Writing for the majority, Brett Kavanaugh said legislatures and schools were better positioned to determine policies on the issue, citing the complex medical and scientific considerations involved.
The decision allows states including Idaho and West Virginia, along with more than two dozen other states with similar laws, to continue enforcing the restrictions.
However, the justices did not fully resolve whether the state bans violate Title IX, leaving that legal question open for future litigation.
The cases were brought by transgender students who argued the laws breached the Constitution’s equal protection guarantee and Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.
Supporters of the bans say the measures are necessary to ensure fairness and protect opportunities for girls and women in competitive sports. Opponents argue the laws unfairly target a small group of transgender students and exclude them from school athletics.
The ruling follows the court’s decision last year to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, another major decision in the ongoing legal debate over transgender rights.
Trump has consistently backed restrictions on transgender participation in women’s sports. Earlier, he signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports”, directing federal agencies to support policies limiting transgender athletes’ participation in female sporting events.
