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<\/a><\/p>\nSo when Hernandez won the high jump and the triple jump last year under the new rule, she and her fellow competitors squeezed onto the top spot of the podium for the medal ceremonies. She also shared the silver medal \u2014 and the podium \u2014 in the long jump.<\/p>\n
California officials have said they will use the same protocols at this year\u2019s meet.<\/p>\n
Supreme Court Ruling Expected Soon<\/p>\n
This year, though, an even bigger issue is looming for trans athletes. Across the country, in Washington, the Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether to uphold two state laws barring trans girls and women from competing on school teams that match their gender identity.<\/p>\n
The cases involve laws in West Virginia and Idaho, and the ruling could affect similar laws in 25 other states.<\/p>\n
The West Virginia case in front of the Supreme Court involves Becky Pepper-Jackson, a trans athlete and high school sophomore who sued to compete on her middle school\u2019s girls\u2019 cross-country team when she was 11. She is 15 now and among the top high school shot putters and discus throwers in the state.<\/p>\n
The Idaho case involves Lindsay Hecox, now 24, a trans athlete who wanted to compete on the women\u2019s track and cross-country teams at Boise State University. She has asked the court to drop the case because she has stopped competing in women\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n
Both plaintiffs argued that their states\u2019 laws violated Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination at federally funded institutions, and also violated the 14th Amendment\u2019s equal protection clause.<\/p>\n
Years of Intense Debate<\/p>\n
Since 2013, state law in California has allowed trans girls and women to compete in the category that matches their gender identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t anticipate anything about California\u2019s policies will be impacted by this decision,\u201d Chris Erchull, a senior staff attorney with GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, said of the impending Supreme Court ruling. \u201cThe decision is going to be about whether states can have bans.\u201d<\/p>\n
The court ruling will come after years of intense political and scientific debate over whether it\u2019s fair for trans girls to compete in the girls\u2019 category.<\/p>\n
People who are against trans girls\u2019 competing in girls\u2019 events believe that trans athletes hold a physical and physiological edge. They say that trans girls, even ones who began taking testosterone blockers before puberty, retain an advantage of more muscle mass and longer bone length. Testosterone is a hormone known to increase strength, muscle mass and endurance.<\/p>\n
Opponents of trans girls\u2019 participation say that those athletes will prevent girls who were assigned female at birth from having a fair chance to win, or from even making their sports teams.<\/p>\n
A New York Times\/Ipsos poll in January 2025 found that 94% of Republicans and 67% of Democrats believed transgender women should not compete in the women\u2019s category.<\/p>\n
This article originally appeared in\u00a0The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n