Fourth Circuit Rejects West Virginia Law Barring Transgender Girls From Student Athletics
American Civil Liberties UnionApr 16
W.Va. Court Rejects Law Banning Transgender Athletes in Women's Sports
The Facts
The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a West Virginia law that prohibited transgender athletes from competing in sports designated for women and girls at public schools and colleges.
In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of appellate judges found that West Virginia’s "Save Women’s Sports Act" violated the 14th Amendment and Title IX protections. The case centers around 13-year-old transgender girl Becky Pepper-Jackson.
The Spin
Left narrative
This ruling is a victory for the civil rights and dignity of transgender athletes across the US and, hopefully, it will serve as a catalyst for similar decisions. Many states are trying to deny trans people of simply existing in the gender with which they identify, and West Virginia's law sought to deprive a transgender girl of her right to compete with her friends on a middle school track team.
Right narrative
The 4th Circuit dealt a blow to women's sports, fairness, and common sense by striking down West Virginia's law that required biological women to compete in women's sports. The left should not be arguing that biological males should be able to compete against biological females. Women and girls are the biggest losers today in this major cultural issue.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that at least 13.5% of American adults will identify as LGBTQ in 2070, according to the Metaculus prediction community.