West Virginia is asking the Supreme Court to review a case banning transgender athletes from participating in school sports all the way through college. The law says gender is “based solely on the individual’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” It was enacted in 2021, but challenged by a then-11-year-old transgender girl, who wanted to run on her school’s cross country and track teams.
The law was first blocked by a federal judge, who later approved it, but then was blocked again by an appeals court. In 2021, the Supreme Court declined to review a case on whether transgender students can use the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity. Currently, 18 students have passed laws banning transgender girls from school sports, including those blocked by courts.