Transhealth strongly condemns yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing states to ban transgender women and girls from school sports, perpetuating harmful disinformation and advancing a dangerous narrative that trans people are undeserving of dignity, respect, and basic human rights.
In B.P.J. v. West Virginia and Hecox v. Little, the Court greenlights discrimination by ruling that such bans do not violate Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This decision does not compel states to implement bans and does not change Massachusetts law, which definitively prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in school sports, public education, and public accommodations.
This ruling erodes legal protections, infringes on the ability of trans people to live full, healthy lives, and sends the heartbreaking message that trans women and girls should be excluded from fundamental aspects of public life. Nothing could be further from the truth.
As a healthcare center, Transhealth understands deeply how essential equal access to school sports is to the health and well-being of our patients. Participation in school athletics nurtures friendships, self-esteem, leadership, teamwork, and a deep sense of belonging. These experiences are foundational to lifelong health and wellness.
As the plaintiff in the BPJ case, Becky Pepper-Jackson, a trans girl from Bridgeport, West Virginia said, “I play for my school for the same reason other kids on my track team do–to make friends, have fun, and challenge myself through practice and teamwork. And all I’ve ever wanted was the same opportunities as my peers.”
To be clear, these attacks against trans athletes have never been about protecting women. They specifically and directly harm all women. Under these bans any cis woman or girl in sports who does not meet an imposed standard of beauty or body type can be required to submit to potentially invasive and traumatizing testing and inspection in violation of basic privacy and bodily autonomy. History tells us that it is likely to be athletes of color who will be those most targeted and put at risk for this physical surveillance.
Furthermore, through this troubling decision the U.S. Supreme Court continues to fuel an authoritarian movement targeting vulnerable people in order to sow political division and deceive Americans into believing that trans people, immigrants, and other marginalized groups are the sources of their problems.
To cut through the disinformation, get the facts, and learn how communities can and do create access to sports that’s inclusive and fair to everyone, visit Fair Play for All!, a resource created by the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition.
Transhealth would like to thank Becky, and the other plaintiff in these cases, Lindsay Hecox, a transgender woman and former student-athlete at Boise State University in Idaho for their fierce courage in bringing these cases all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
To every trans woman and girl reading this, know that you belong, and Transhealth will never stop fighting for your right to be who you are and to be everywhere you want to be in the world.
