The US Supreme Court on 30/6 ruled on lawsuits filed by two transgender athletes: Lindsay Hecox, a final-year student at Boise State University in Idaho, and Becky Pepper-Jackson, 16, a high school student in West Virginia.

Hecox, a track and field athlete, filed her lawsuit in January after the Idaho state government enacted a law prohibiting transgender women from joining school sports teams. She argued that the ban violated civil rights.

Idaho passed this law in 2020. Since then, more than 24 US states have adopted similar regulations.

Idaho state representative Barbara Ehardt, who proposed the law, argued at the time that it would ensure "males will not be able to take spots from girls in sports because that is not fair."

Women in the US hold signs supporting the Supreme Court's ruling in Washington D.C. on 30/6. Photo: Reuters

In the second lawsuit, Pepper-Jackson accused the West Virginia state government of violating the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution with a similar ban.

According to the Supreme Court's 30/6 ruling, the governments of West Virginia and Idaho did not violate the constitution or civil rights. This decision allows states to independently decide whether to enact laws prohibiting transgender individuals assigned male at birth from competing in female school sports teams.

US President Donald Trump celebrated the Supreme Court's decision in a social media post, calling it a "big victory."

West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey stated that the ruling is a victory for common sense and will provide states with "clarity and confidence to ensure fairness and safety for female athletes today and for generations to come."

However, three of the 9 Supreme Court justices dissented, arguing that the states failed to demonstrate that the ban "protects equal opportunity for female athletes" and showed a "narrow view of equal protection in sports."

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), an organization supporting the LGBT community, criticized the decision.

"This is a painful blow to transgender student athletes who are being forced to sit on the sidelines simply because they were assigned male at birth," said HRC President Kelley Robinson.

Joshua Block, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) representing Pepper-Jackson, called the ruling a "devastating decision for transgender girls who just want the same opportunities as other girls."

Becky Pepper-Jackson at Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, West Virginia, on 7/4. Photo: AP

President Trump made the issue of transgender athletes in women's sports a focus of his 2024 election campaign. Last year, he signed an executive order prohibiting transgender individuals from competing in female sports teams at schools.

Following that decision, the NCAA, the governing body for US college sports, banned transgender individuals from competing in women's sports.

US First Lady Melania Trump also congratulated the Supreme Court's ruling as a victory for women in sports, while adding that she supports the rights of gay and transgender Americans.

"America, we can both support the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and protect opportunities for female athletes. Let's respect everyone and keep women's sports fair," she wrote on social media. "Both ideals are essential."

Supporters of the ban argue that transgender women have a biological advantage over athletes identified as female at birth.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in March that the female category of Olympic sports is exclusively for individuals assigned female at birth, after considering the latest scientific evidence over the past 18 months and concluding that "male sex provides a performance advantage in all sports and activities based on strength, physique, and endurance."

Opponents of the ban contend that these laws are discriminatory and unfair to transgender students.

By Hong Hanh (Based on BBC, CNN reports)