Tuesday January 13 the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will once again debate the lives and dignity of transgender people. The Court will hear oral arguments on West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox, cases challenging laws that block transgender people from playing sports as their authentic selves.
You can listen to the oral arguments here. SCOTUS releases decisions in spring and early summer, with LGBTQIA+ related decisions historically released in June.
These cases impact far more than sports participation. They are one thread in a web of attacks that dictate how transgender people are allowed to participate in daily life.
How did we get here?
U.S. state laws banning transgender women from sports were first passed in 2020, although Texas was ahead of the curve. In 2016, the University Interscholastic League (UIL), the governing body for Texas high school sports, passed a policy to tie a student’s sports participation to the gender on their birth certificate, effectively banning any transgender athletes without updated birth certificates.
Representative Valoree Swanson (R-Spring) enshrined this policy into law in 2021 with (HB 25) and Senator Mays Middleton (R-Galveston) extended the ban to public universities in 2023 (SB 15). Currently, 27 states have anti-transgender sports laws in effect.
Becky and Lindsay, two courageous young transgender women, challenged the laws in West Virginia and Idaho to assert that everyone should be able to have the opportunity to participate with their peers, including transgender women like them. Lower courts have consistently ruled that categorical sports bans violate the rights of transgender students, but the defendants in the cases have continued to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court.
What’s at stake?
At the heart of the discussion on categorical sports bans is the question: who is included in public life? Who is afforded dignity and respect as they go about their day-to-day activities?
In the past few months alone, transgender Texans have felt the consequences of extremist politicians limiting government recognition of transgender people. The “Texas Bathroom Bill” took effect on December 4th, requiring publicly owned buildings to exclude transgender and nonbinary Texans from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity. Last fall, Texas Tech University System and Texas A&M University System both issued policies restricting how gender identity and sexual orientation can be discussed or taught in official courses. And, the Texas Department of Public Safety has continued collecting information on transgender drivers seeking to update their licenses after gender marker changes tied to gender identity were banned in 2024. These attacks stem from the same logic as the sports bans: they deny transgender people the freedom to be themselves.
It’s telling that politicians have used sports participation as the gateway to these attacks. Sports teach us how to work together as a team, utilizing our own unique strengths and perspectives to succeed. And once we’ve come together, it becomes harder to divide us. All women, including transgender women, should have the freedom to learn these important life lessons amongst their peers. No one deserves to be singled out and excluded simply because of who they are.
Instead of solving problems we all have, like putting food on the table, making rent, affording healthcare, or keeping our neighborhoods safe, extremist politicians and their financial backers are spending millions of dollars trying to exclude transgender people from the communities they are already a part of.
If these attacks feel like a lot, it’s because they are. As we weather this political climate, remember that Resource Center offers counseling, affirming healthcare, support groups, and community events. You don’t have to do this alone.
What can we do?
These politicians have spent millions to ignite unfounded fears about transgender people to divide us and weaken everyone’s freedoms. We can prove them wrong.
Regardless of how Tuesday’s oral arguments go, we will not let them divide us. Everyone, across all ages, races, backgrounds, and genders, deserves the freedom to be ourselves and thrive.
Resource Center will be joining ACLU National, Lambda Legal, Transgender Law Center and Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network at two Dallas events January 10th and 13th to fight for the T in team. Together, we can show the Supreme Court and our community that we will protect and defend a vision of public life that includes transgender people. Will you join us?
You can RSVP to the events at these links:
Saturday, January 10 – Pre–Oral Argument Rally, Featured Speakers and Building Community, & Community Tabling
🕐 1:00–3:00 PM
Speakers will begin at 2 pm
Please register here: 🔗 https://www.mobilize.us/lambdalegal/event/880738/
Tuesday, January 13th - Dallas Rally & Community Tabling
📍 Union Coffee, 3705 Cedar Springs Rd, Dallas, TX 75219
🕙 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
We will gather for a rally with speakers and community tabling.
Community Tabling 10 a.m.-2 pm
Speakers will begin at 11 a.m.
Please register here:🔗 https://www.mobilize.us/lambdalegal/event/880757/
