Civil rights, reproductive justice and LGBTQ+ advocates warned the decision will deepen discrimination against transgender youth while threatening broader equality protections.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday, June 30, that states may prohibit transgender students from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity, holding that the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment does not prohibit such bans. The decision leaves in place laws already enacted in 27 states and marks another major setback for transgender rights after months of escalating attacks on LGBTQ+ communities.
Feminist organizations, reproductive justice advocates, physicians, civil rights leaders and lawmakers swiftly condemned the ruling, arguing that it harms transgender youth, undermines Title IX’s protections against sex discrimination and fits into a broader campaign targeting marginalized communities.
“Another Blow” for Trans Youth
Daniela Diaz, senior federal policy and advocacy director at URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, called the decision “another blow” in an escalating campaign against transgender young people.
“We have seen an unprecedented pace of legislation introduced and passed aimed at excluding trans youth from every aspect of society, from schools, sports, healthcare and public life. Extremist politicians and courts have cruelly targeted young people as scapegoats in their hateful vendetta to control our bodies and our communities. Today’s decisions are another blow, further marginalizing and targeting young trans people.
“We know that the hate and harm being issued toward trans people is about control, power and attacking the most vulnerable of our communities. Trans youth deserve the opportunity to live their lives authentically, joyfully and with dignity. We will never stop fighting for equal access, fair treatment and for our gender identities to be respected.“
Justice Jackson’s Dissent Centers Title IX
In one of the day’s strongest dissents, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson rejected the majority’s reasoning, arguing that discrimination against transgender students is inherently discrimination based on sex.
“A transgender woman penalized for being perceived as aggressive has experienced discrimination ‘on the basis of sex’ just as much as a cisgender woman has, no matter that the transgender woman’s behavior matches expectations of her sex assigned at birth. Either way, the institution has imposed its gender-based expectations upon her. And either way, the institution may have violated Title IX.”
Advocates Warn All Girls Will Feel the Effects
Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson argued the ruling would fuel suspicion and harassment not only toward transgender athletes but toward girls more broadly.
“When politicians convince the public that any girl could be ‘the wrong kind of girl,’ they invite harassment, intimidation, invasive questioning or even an inspection of their body by a total stranger. While we know this administration and other anti-equality politicians won’t stop obsessing over trans kids, we must all call on states to adopt inclusive policies so that no one gets left behind for being their authentic selves. We must show up in large numbers for every school board, local and state and federal election to be sure our communities are heard. We must continue this fight with full force until freedom, justice and equal opportunity are not flimsy promises but nationwide guarantees.”
Rep. Mark Takano, chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, said states should be “breaking down barriers to participation, not building them up.”
“This is a devastating ruling for so many young people who just want to play with their friends at school but who, simply because of who they are, have become pawns in political games. States should be focusing on breaking down barriers to participation, not building them up. We have already seen the harms of these categorical bans on all girls, and this ruling will continue those harms in all of the states that have enacted these categorical bans.”
Physicians: The Decision Will Harm Young People’s Health
OB-GYN and Physicians for Reproductive Health president and CEO Dr. Jamila Perritt said the ruling continues “a long year of systematic and orchestrated attacks” on transgender people.
“No one should be excluded from participating in sports because of who they are. As physicians, we know how devastating the impact of this decision will be on young transgender students’ mental, physical and social well-being. This decision comes at the end of a long year of systematic and orchestrated attacks against transgender people.
“From villainization by the Trump administration via gender-affirming care bans, to statehouses passing dehumanizing bathroom bans and driver’s license bans, to Attorney Generals’ demanding hospitals provide harmful and unscientific ‘detransition care,’ today’s decision is yet another attempt to target, alienate and harass transgender people.”
Civil Rights Leaders See a Broader Pattern
Leadership Conference president Maya Wiley connected the ruling to a wider set of Trump administration policies affecting voting rights, immigration and civil rights.
“These attacks are intended to divide and scare us. Attacking trans athletes. Silencing Black voters. Changing who is given necessary protections when they enter this country from dangerous situations. Attempting to deny children born here their citizenship. These are moves meant to divide us. To make us panic and protect only ‘our own.’ But we know that our rights are interconnected. Freedom for one is freedom for all.”
The ruling comes amid an unprecedented wave of legislation targeting transgender Americans. Since 2020, state lawmakers have considered over 2,600 anti‑trans bills, with more than 1,000 introduced in 2025 alone. Half of transgender youth ages 13 to 17 live in states with laws that prevent them from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity, and another 3 percent live in states with similar bans via regulation—making transgender rights a central civil rights battleground.
This report was adapted from a quote collection featured in our biweekly feminist news roundup, Keeping Score: In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We Keep Score online, too!
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