Oregon Gov. Kotek says she is “disappointed” ruling will lead to discrimination nationwide against trans youth after Supreme Court upholds bans on transgender athletes

Oregon – Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek criticized the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding state bans on transgender athletes participating in girls’ and women’s school sports, saying the ruling sets a troubling precedent and could have lasting consequences for transgender youth across the country.

In a statement released following the decision, Kotek said she was disappointed by the Court’s ruling and pledged to continue protecting transgender students’ rights in Oregon.

“Yesterday’s decision by the Supreme Court has broad implications, and I am disappointed that it will set a precedent for discrimination against transgender youth across the country,” Kotek said. “Our young people deserve as many opportunities as possible to participate in the things that bring them joy, and that includes engaging in youth sports.”

She added that she remains committed to protecting transgender youth and ensuring their equal participation in communities throughout Oregon.

Kotek’s statement came after the Supreme Court ruled that states may prohibit transgender girls and women from competing on girls’ and women’s school sports teams without violating either Title IX or the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause. The decision upheld laws in Idaho and West Virginia, marking one of the Court’s most significant rulings on transgender rights in recent years, Reuters reported.

The Court unanimously agreed that Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education, does not require schools to allow transgender athletes to compete on teams that align with their gender identity. The justices then split 6-3 on the constitutional question, with the conservative majority concluding that the state laws also do not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Writing for the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said states have an important interest in preserving fairness and safety in girls’ and women’s athletics by organizing sports based on biological sex. The opinion also stated that transgender students deserve respect and should not be ostracized, even as the Court upheld the state restrictions.