In one of the most consequential victories for women and girls since the enactment of Title IX, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld state laws protecting women’s sports in West Virginia v. B.P.J and Little v. Hecox, affirming that states may preserve female athletic competition based on biological sex. The landmark decisions marked the first time in American history that the nation’s highest court ruled on laws protecting women’s sports, representing a defining victory for sex-based rights.
Independent Women shaped the national conversation surrounding the decision, with ambassadors and legal experts providing immediate analysis across major television, radio, print, and digital media outlets. Through rapid-response media engagement, compelling personal stories, and expert legal commentary, Independent Women highlighted the significance of the ruling while reinforcing that continued legislative action is needed to ensure women and girls in every state receive the same protections.
Fox News, America’s Newsroom: Just minutes after the ruling was announced on June 30th, Payton McNabb, Independent Women ambassador, shared how she felt after hearing the news of the ruling:
“I’m just feeling so blessed. Of course, this is something that means a lot to me, and it affected me personally and, you know, there’s a lot of eyes on this. Across the country, there’s families, there’s parents, and there’s coaches and daughters who are watching this decision being made, and I’m just so thankful that they get to understand that they are protected.”
Newsmax, Finnerty: Payton McNabb, Independent Women ambassador, reacted to knowing that the decision will help ensure other women will not have to go through the same thing she did:
“I was just overwhelmed with different emotions. Of course, I’m so thankful it went the way it did. There w[ere] girls across the country who were waiting to hear this decision, and they care about their sport, and they want to be protected. And that’s all it was—they weren’t even deciding on if states should protect the women and girls, they’re literally just deciding if they’re allowed to, which is so insane to me. It’s insane to me that it had to go to the highest court in the land to determine that there’s a biological difference between a man and woman. I mean, that’s something I knew at 17 when this happened to me. And we’ve been trying to tell lawmakers for years now that this is a real thing, and I’m just thankful that, you know, at least the Supreme Court let us know there is a difference for sure.”
Newsmax, National Update: Kaillie Humphries, Independent Women ambassador, reacted to how men competing in women’s sports impact women’s career opportunities as well as their physical safety:
“And mentally, I think every woman deserves every opportunity to be their best, and to be the best, no matter if it’s at a grassroots level or the Olympic level. They deserve to dream big. And, you know, with careers and opportunities and everything at stake, you know, and with Title IX being the way that it was intentionally written, you know, being able to know that that was meant around biological females, having those opportunities, it’s a big win today for women and girls everywhere.”
Newsmax, Rob Schmitt Tonight: Madisan DeBos, Independent Women ambassador, joined the show to react to the fact that the issue of men in women’s sports had to be decided at the Supreme Court level:
“Yeah, it’s absolutely insane. And it’s not something that I ever thought that I would see in my college career, let alone so many others. Yeah, it’s just, it’s ridiculous that we have to even get to this point. We made separate categories for a reason. We have men’s sports and women’s sports for a reason. So the fact that we have to sit in the Supreme Court and decide that there are differences is absurd.”
OAN, The Matt Gaetz Show: Payton McNabb, Independent Women ambassador, expressed her gratitude that the Supreme Court’s decision ensured current protections remain in place for women and girls, while also pointing out that there is more work to be done:
“Of course, I was just overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions. I’m very, very thankful that they ended up telling us what we all knew all along: that men have a biological difference over women. And I’m confused [by] why it had to go to the highest court in the land for them to determine that, but I’m very very thankful that they did, and that the states that have protections in place for women and girls can continue to have those stand. And it’s gonna make it easier for us to continue to work to get this legislation passed in the remainder of the states, because the girls in California deserve the same protections as the girls in Tennessee, and we’re gonna keep fighting until that’s the case.”
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:
“May Mailman, director of the conservative legal organization Independent Women’s Law Center, said the ruling was less animating than it might have been a few years ago, because transgender advocacy feels ‘less in your face’ now, particularly in red states. By winning in the court of public opinion, Republicans in some ways lost ground on a potent political issue, she said.
“‘It’s not a win in the sense that you’ve gained something new,’ said May Mailman, who served as deputy assistant to the president and senior policy strategist in the Trump White House last year…. ‘Instead, they are affirming something that everyone now knows to be true.’
“‘It’s kind of like D.E.I.,’ May Mailman continued, referring to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that the Trump administration has sought to eliminate. ‘Is D.E.I. gone, or is it hibernating?’”
“Payton McNabb, a former high-school athlete from North Carolina who was severely injured by a transgender opponent on the women’s volleyball court in 2022 aged 15, was celebrating the decision on Tuesday, telling The Times:
“‘Biological is not bigotry. No one has ever said transgender athletes can’t play sports, but they should play in the category of the sex they were born as…. The nets are seven inches higher in the men’s games; that’s how I ended up getting hurt — that athlete could jump higher than almost any other girl. I wasn’t protected back then, but that won’t be the case for girls in those states from now on and I’m grateful for that.’
“She said she would continue campaigning until ‘women in all 50 states have the same rights.’”
“‘There’s much work to be done,’ said May Mailman, director of the right-of-center Independent Women’s Law Center. ‘This ruling merely says women’s sports are legal, but it doesn’t preserve their right to them.’”
“Beth Parlato, senior legal counsel for the conservative Independent Women’s Law Center, called the opinion a ‘huge win,’ but added, ‘There’s more work to do.’ Congress, she said, needs to ‘do its job’ and pass legislation that would apply to all states.”
“‘It is an absolute win, and we still have more work to do at the state level,’ said Beth Parlato, senior legal adviser at the conservative Independent Women’s Law Center.”
Read more by Independent Women:
- Fox News: “PAYTON MCNABB: Girls deserve fair competition, and the Supreme Court just agreed” by Payton McNabb, Independent Women ambassador
- IW Features: “Finally: SCOTUS Sides With Women’s Sports” by Madisan DeBos, Independent Women ambassador
- National Review: “The Supreme Court Didn’t Just Save Women’s Sports. It Preserved the Legal Rights of Women” by Beth Parlato, senior legal counsel at Independent Women’s Law Center
- Washington Post: Letter to the Editor, “The court protected sports” by Beth Parlato, senior legal counsel at Independent Women’s Law Center
- OutKick: “Kaillie Humphries: Identity is not the same as biology. The Supreme Court agrees” by Kaillie Humphries, Independent Women ambassador
- Evie Magazine: “The Male Takeover Of Female Prisons” by Amie Ichikawa, Independent Women ambassador