US Supreme Court allows trans athlete to stay on her school girls’ team

First modification: 04/07/2023 – 04:21

Becky Pepper-Jackson will now be able to continue coaching her school’s women’s team thanks to the decision of the United States Supreme Court of Justice, with a Republican majority.

She, a 12-year-old transsexual minor —who is in the middle of the outdoor athletics season— filed a lawsuit against the law that prohibited her from competing. The decision of this Thursday, April 6, marks a precedent in the sports arenas and in the judicial regulations of the country.

Of the nine judges to whom the lawsuit reached, only two disagreed with the opinion of the majority and chose to veto the minor’s participation in the team, Republicans Samuel Alito and Clerene Thomas.

West Virginia is one of 20 states that prohibit transgender athletes from participating in the categories of the gender identity to which they identify, and that have also banned access to gender transition treatment for minors in the past, according to the group in favor of human rights ‘Movement Advancement Project’.

The Save Women’s Sport Act has repeatedly been criticized by human rights advocates. Specifically, they condemn the legislators’ argument when creating this rule, which states that “student sports teams in educational institutions must respect reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”

With the event of this Thursday, April 6, the organizations that have supported the child under 12 years of age were grateful for “doing justice.”

“Taking Becky away from where she belongs, that is, taking her away from being able to play alongside her teammates as a teammate and as a friend was an unfounded and callous effort by those in power,” the American Civil Liberties Union said in a joint statement. (ACLU) of West Virginia and Lambda Legal.

The decision of the International Athletics Federation

Just two weeks ago, the International Athletics Federation, World Athletics, decided that those athletes who have gone through male puberty can no longer participate in female categories.

“For DSD (Different Sexual Development) athletes, the new regulations will require any relevant athlete to reduce their testosterone levels below a cut-off of 2.5 nmol/L for a minimum of 24 months to compete internationally in the women’s category.” read in the statement of the sports organization.

With this decision, which was announced by the president of the federation, Sebastian Coe, it is sought that the new measure goes beyond transgender athletes and also welcomes women who have differences in sexual development (DSD), a condition known as hyperandrogenism.