White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
Trans athletes saw 2 victories last week, but will it last?
LISA KEEN | Keen News Servicelisakeen@mac.com
Transgender athletes saw two significant victories last week: one from the conservative U.S. Supreme Court and the other from the LGBTQ-friendly White House of President Joe Biden. The events triggered a flood of national media attention and found lesbian tennis legend Martina Navratilova on the side of those wishing to bar transgender females from participating in female sporting events.
Neither of the two developments changes any law at this time, but both represent powerful pushbacks against a wave of hostile legislation in many states. The Supreme Court vote announced on April 6 temporarily stops a recently-passed ban on competition by trans athletes in West Virginia schools. The law is a variation on numerous similar laws being enacted around the country. The West Virginia law requires that public secondary schools and universities bar any student identified as male at birth from participating in a sport designated for female students.
The Supreme Court voted 7-2 in West Virginia v. BPJ to reject the state’s request that the Supreme Court vacate a federal appeals court injunction in February that prevented the anti-transgender law from taking effect. The injunction is set to remain in place until the appeals court rules on the constitutionality of the law.
The Alliance Defending Freedom joined the state of West Virginia in its request to vacate the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeal’s injunction. Twenty-one states joined a brief supporting West Virginia’s request, including Florida, Georgia, Texas and Virginia. And a group of 67 female athletes, coaches, and
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