Republican governors urge justices to defend women’s sports as Supreme Court hears key case

FIRST ON FOX: The nation’s Republican governors are warning that women’s sports are at risk as the Supreme Court hears a high-profile case over whether transgender athletes should be allowed to participate in girl’s and women’s sports.

The statement from the GOP governors comes as the nation’s highest court on Tuesday hears oral arguments from Idaho and West Virginia in defense of their laws to protect women’s sports.

“Recognizing the unique and inherent biological differences between men and women is not radical, it is commonsense,” the Republican governors emphasized in a statement shared first with Fox News Digital.

And the GOP governors argued, “Those trying to erase our unique differences and ignore biological reality are doing so in the name of ‘inclusivity.’ Forcing women and girls to compete against men, with greater strength and speed, is the opposite of inclusive. It’s unfair. For generations, women fought for equal opportunity on the playing field and won over 50 years ago with the passage of Title IX, and now that right is at risk again.”

SUPREME COURT CASE ON PROTECTING WOMEN’S SPORTS SET FOR ORAL ARGUMENTS

The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2024. The justices will hear oral arguments Tuesday in two cases that could determine whether states can ban transgender athletes who identify as women from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The Supreme Court justices will hear arguments in the cases from Idaho and West Virginia, where lower federal courts have blocked state laws that would prohibit transgender athletes from playing on female teams.

The high court’s ruling on the twin cases will likely determine whether the laws in Idaho and West Virginia, and similar measures in 27 other states, will stand.

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Lower courts have ruled that the bans discriminate “on the basis of sex” in violation of Title IX, which is a landmark civil rights law designed to promote equal opportunities for women and girls in sports, under the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.

But Idaho and West Virginia, in asking the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court rulings, argue that sex and gender identity are not the same when it comes female sports and that allowing transgender athletes to compete against girls is both unfair and not safe.

The Supreme Court is expected to decide the case by early summer.

“Blurring the biological line between men and women breaks down the protections afforded to both biological sexes, and only emboldens those who wish to destroy inherent truths. Together, we stand with Idaho and West Virginia in their case at the Supreme Court,” the Republican governors said in their letter.

And the GOP governors highlighted that they “have taken action to enact commonsense laws protecting girls’ and women’s sports in our states. Today, we Republican governors want to reiterate our calls for the need to protect women’s sports and allow young girls to have the same right to an equal and fair playing field.”

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The statement was signed by Republican Governors Kay Ivey of Alabama, Mike Dunleavy of Alaska, Sarah Sanders of Arkansas, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Brad Little of Idaho, Mike Braun of Indiana, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Jeff Landry of Louisiana, Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Mike Kehoe of Missouri, Greg Gianforte of Montana, Jim Pillen of Nebraska, Joe Lombardo of Nevada, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Henry Dargan McMaster of South Carolina, Larry Rhoden of South Dakota, Bill Lee of Tennessee, Greg Abbott of Texas, Spencer Cox of Utah, Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia, and Mark Gordon of Wyoming.