The U.S. Supreme Court has delivered a major victory for women's sports, reinforcing the legality of state laws that protect female athletes from having to compete against biological males. Now, attention is turning to the states that continue to allow transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports.
The Court's decision effectively upholds laws in 27 states that restrict participation in female sports based on biological sex, providing a significant legal boost to policies championed by President Donald Trump, Republican governors, and advocates for women's athletics.
But nearly half the country remains on a different path.
Twenty-three states still do not have laws protecting girls' sports in this way. Of those, 19 actively permit transgender athletes to compete in female athletic competitions. The remaining four rely on policies issued by state education agencies or athletic associations instead of legislation enacted by lawmakers.
The ruling is expected to intensify pressure on officials in those states, many of whom have defended policies allowing athletes to compete based on gender identity rather than biological sex.
In the wake of the decision, Fox News Digital contacted the governors' offices in all 23 states, asking where they stand now that the nation's highest court has affirmed the constitutionality of protections adopted elsewhere.
The issue has become one of the defining cultural and legal battles in America, with Republicans arguing that preserving women's sports is a matter of fairness, equal opportunity, and the integrity of athletic competition. Critics of policies allowing biological males to compete in female divisions point to physical differences that can create competitive advantages, particularly at higher levels of competition.
President Trump has made protecting women's sports a cornerstone of his administration's broader effort to reverse gender-identity policies implemented in recent years. His America First agenda has consistently emphasized restoring what supporters describe as common-sense standards rooted in biological reality rather than ideological activism.
With the Supreme Court now providing constitutional support for state protections, governors and lawmakers in the remaining states face increasing scrutiny over whether they will maintain existing policies or reconsider them.
For millions of parents, athletes, and coaches, the question has never been about politics—it's about fairness. The Supreme Court's decision marks a pivotal moment in that debate, and states that continue allowing biological males to compete in girls' sports will now have to explain why they believe those policies best serve female athletes and the integrity of competition.
