Supreme Court Sides with Women’s Sports: Statement from AFPI’s Riley Gaines

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the Supreme Court’s decision handed down today regarding Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J., the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) today released the following statement from Riley Gaines, Vice Chair of Athletes for America, on the efforts to protect women’s sports:

“Sanity prevails! Today’s decision doesn’t get us exactly where we need to be, but it’s a win nonetheless. Very thankful that the adults in West Virginia and Idaho, who stood up to radical ideologues to protect women’s sports, have secured this victory.

For years, female athletes were told to stay quiet, smile, and accept the unfairness. Today, they were heard.”

At the center of the cases was a simple but important question: can states recognize biological differences between males and females to keep competition fair? The Supreme Court stated that “[t]he term ‘sex’ in the 1972 Title IX statute . . . and the 1975 Title IX regulations cannot plausibly be interpreted to refer to anything other than biological sex,” and held that states may act to protect fairness and opportunities for female athletes by excluding males from women’s sports. The decision provides clarity in an area that has sparked confusion and conflict across the country.

Learn more about AFPI’s Athletes for America here.