The high court said federal law allows schools to provide separate men’s and women’s sports teams.
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 30 ruled that states can bar men from competing in women’s sporting leagues, dealing a blow to LGBT activists who have advocated for allowing men who “identify” as women to join female teams.
The court ruled in a consolidated set of cases out of Idaho and West Virginia that federal Title IX rules permit schools to “provide separate women’s and men’s sports teams defined by biological sex,” meaning schools can prohibit men from playing on women’s teams even if those men believe they are women.
The court had taken up the issue in July 2025 when it agreed to hear the two cases, which arose after the two states moved to block males from playing on female sports teams.
Both cases arose from lawsuits brought by, or on behalf of, young men who identify as female and who sued against the states’ respective bans on males competing in females’ sports.
In the June 30 ruling, the court rejected arguments from the plaintiffs that Title IX requires schools to let males play in women’s leagues. The court said
