Staff Reports
West Virginia’s Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is making a bold move to protect women’s sports. He’s taking his case to the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court. Why? A federal appeals court said that a West Virginia law that keeps boys and girls from competing against each other violates the rights of a transgender middle school track and field runner.
The law called the Save Women’s Sports Act, says that athletes of different sexes can’t compete against one another. Morrisey is arguing that allowing biological males who identify as females to compete against biological females is unfair and goes against the principles of Title IX, a law that’s meant to stop sex-based discrimination in schools that get federal funds.
West Virginia's transgender sports ban violates the rights of a teen athlete under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools, an appeals court ruled. https://t.co/tk2MfSkkaI
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 16, 2024
The Attorney General said he’s not alone in wanting to keep boys and girls separated in sports. Even the legal team for the transgender runner has said that there’s a place for gender separation in sports. They agree that it’s important to keep boys and girls from competing against each other in school sports.
Now, the case is heading to the Supreme Court. Morrisey hopes the justices will agree with him and uphold the West Virginia law. He believes girls in sports are being hurt, and he’s confident that the Supreme Court will agree to hear the case.
This case has a lot of interest from different groups. The ACLU, which supports the transgender runner, first sued West Virginia over its law. A conservative legal group, the Alliance Defending Freedom, supported a female soccer player from West Virginia State University, who also believes in keeping boys and girls from competing against each other in sports.
The fight to keep girls’ sports fair and equal is getting bigger and moving all the way to the Supreme Court. Attorney General Morrisey wants to ensure that girls have a fair chance at winning in sports without competing against boys.
