WASHINGTON − After years of national debate over transgender girls and women's participation on female sports teams, the Supreme Court is stepping in.
The court is debating on Jan. 13 whether restrictions passed by more than half the states violate either the Constitution or a federal civil rights law barring sex discrimination in school programs.
More: Bans of transgender athletes about erasure, not fairness | Opinion
The transgender students from Idaho and West Virginia who are challenging their state’s bans say the laws don’t take into account individual circumstances, including whether someone who takes puberty-blockers or cross-gender hormones may no longer be bigger, faster or stronger than a typical female.
The states argue that athletic advantages remain even after hormonal treatments and the bans are necessary to ensure fairness and safety in female sports.
