{"id":220334,"date":"2026-01-13T12:55:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T17:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/?post_type=press_release&p=220334"},"modified":"2026-01-13T13:27:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T18:27:26","slug":"supreme-court-concludes-oral-arguments-in-historic-transgender-rights-hearing","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/supreme-court-concludes-oral-arguments-in-historic-transgender-rights-hearing","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court Concludes Oral Arguments in Historic Transgender Rights Hearing"},"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-220334","press_release","type-press_release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"subheading":"Families, advocates, athletes, members of Congress, and more rally outside the court in support of transgender youth participating in school sports","date_and_time":"2026-01-13 13:00:00","featured_image":"","show_on_press_releases_landing_page":true,"components":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"WASHINGTON \u2013 The U.S. Supreme Court today held oral arguments in two landmark cases challenging state laws banning transgender youth from participating in interscholastic and intercollegiate sports. Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and Legal Voice filed two challenges, West Virginia v. BPJ<\/i><\/a> and Little v. Hecox<\/i><\/a>, on behalf of two transgender female athletes \u2013 one in West Virginia and one in Idaho \u2013 who were categorically barred by West Virginia and Idaho state law from participating on the girls\u2019 and women\u2019s sports teams at their schools.\r\n\r\nAttorneys for the two transgender athletes argued today that the bans violate the rights of transgender and cisgender female students under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In addition, in West Virginia v. B.P.J.<\/i> they argued that West Virginia\u2019s ban violates Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs. Federal courts have blocked enforcement of these bans in both lawsuits.\r\n\r\n\u201cBecky simply wants to be with her teammates on the track and field team, to experience the camaraderie and many documented benefits of participating in team sports,\u201d said Sasha Buchert, Counsel, Nonbinary & Transgender Rights Project Director, Lambda Legal<\/b>. \u201cIt has been amply proven that participating in team sports equips youth with a myriad of skills \u2013 in leadership, teamwork, confidence, health. On the other hand, denying a student the ability to participate is not only discriminatory, but harmful to a student\u2019s self-esteem, sending a message that they are not good enough and deserve to be excluded. That is the argument we made today and that we hope resonated with the justices of the Supreme Court\u201d.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis case is about the ability of transgender youth like Becky to participate in our schools and communities,\u201d said Joshua Block, Senior Counsel for the ACLU\u2019s LGBTQ & HIV Project.<\/b> \u201cSchool athletics are fundamentally educational programs, but West Virginia\u2019s law completely excluded Becky from her school\u2019s entire athletic program even when there is no connection to alleged concerns about fairness or safety. As the lower court recognized, forcing Becky to either give up sports or play on the boys\u2019 team\u2013in contradiction of who she is at school, at home, and across her life\u2013is really no choice at all. We are glad to stand with her and her family to defend her rights, and the rights of every young person, to be included as a member of their school community, at the Supreme Court.\u201d\r\n\r\nSince 2020, 27 states have banned transgender youth from playing school sports. Many of these bans allow for invasive forms<\/a> of sex testing<\/a> that put all female student-athletes at risk and embolden intrusive challenges to student-athletes' sex.\r\n\r\n\u201cI play for my school for the same reason other kids on my track team do\u2013to make friends, have fun, and challenge myself through practice and teamwork,\u201d said 15-year-old Becky Pepper-Jackson of Bridgeport, West Virginia<\/b>. \u201cAnd all I\u2019ve ever wanted was the same opportunities as my peers. But in 2021, politicians in my state passed a law banning me\u2013the only transgender student athlete in the entire state\u2013from playing as who I really am. This is unfair to me and every transgender kid who just wants the freedom to be themselves.\r\n\r\n\u201cAfter West Virginia banned Becky from participating on the girls\u2019 team, our family decided to bring this case for a very simple reason: We want Becky to have the same freedoms and opportunities as her peers,\u201d said Heather Jackson, mom of Becky Pepper-Jackson. <\/b>\u201cIt\u2019s hard enough to be a kid, but I have watched as politicians in my state and across the country have targeted young people like Becky. She is not trying to get a leg up on anyone or demand special treatment. She wants and deserves the same opportunities as any other girl in her school, and we think any loving parent would fight for the same for their family.\u201d\r\n\r\nWhile the justices heard arguments inside the court, outside of the court, hundreds of rally goers traveling from across the country gathered in support of the plaintiffs and the importance of equal access to interscholastic and intercollegiate sports teams, which provide teammates many benefits beyond sports itself. The Fight for the T in Team<\/b> rally featured a range of speakers, including transgender youth, transgender and cisgender athletes, supportive parents, organizers, civil rights leaders, faith leaders, performers, members of Congress, and more. Photography from the event will be made available for public use shortly.\r\n\r\nIn Florida, a 15-year-old junior varsity volleyball player was the subject of a police investigation<\/a> after an anonymous accusation, prompting local officials to draft a 500-page report investigating her medical history, body weight, and anatomy. In Utah, a teenage basketball player was accused of being transgender by a member of the state board of education, leading to threats of violence against her and her family<\/a>, and a teenager in Maine<\/a> faced a similar attack from a state senator.\r\n\r\nIn May, President Donald Trump similarly targeted a 16-year-old transgender girl<\/a> for participating in a high school track meet. Under an Arizona ban, a cisgender male student was prohibited from participating on the boys\u2019 team<\/a> at his high school because of a clerical error that listed him as female on his original birth certificate.\r\n\r\nMany women athletes<\/a> have spoken out against bullying and discrimination against transgender student-athletes, including Billie Jean King, Megan Rapinoe, Dawn Staley, Sue Bird, and Brianna Turner, as well as leading organizations fighting for gender equality in athletics, including the Women\u2019s Sports Foundation, the Women\u2019s National Basketball Player\u2019s Association, and the National Women\u2019s Law Center.\r\n\r\nA decision is expected in the two cases in the spring or early summer of 2026.\r\n\r\nClick here for more information about West Virginia v. BPJ<\/i><\/a> and Little v. Hecox<\/i><\/a>."}}],"drupal_node_id":"","email":"media@aclu.org","phone":"(212) 549-2666","address":{"address_1":"125 Broad Street","address_2":"18th Floor","city":"New York","state":"NY","zip_code":10004,"country":"United States"},"pgp_public_key":"","issues":[46781,46567],"press_releases_related_to_cases":[63013],"spokesperson":[1246,48465],"related_affiliates":[377],"related_content_documents":"","related_content_publications":""},"yoast_head":"\nAmerican Civil Liberties Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Supreme Court Concludes Oral Arguments in Historic Transgender Rights Hearing | American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/supreme-court-concludes-oral-arguments-in-historic-transgender-rights-hearing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-13T18:27:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/supreme-court-concludes-oral-arguments-in-historic-transgender-rights-hearing\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/supreme-court-concludes-oral-arguments-in-historic-transgender-rights-hearing\",\"name\":\"Supreme Court Concludes Oral Arguments in Historic Transgender Rights Hearing | American Civil Liberties Union\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-13T17:55:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-13T18:27:26+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/supreme-court-concludes-oral-arguments-in-historic-transgender-rights-hearing\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Civil Liberties Union\",\"description\":\"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. 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