As of 2025, at least 25 states have enacted laws restricting transgender athletes from competing on sports teams aligned with their gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed in July 2024 to hear cases from West Virginia and Idaho challenging state laws that bar transgender girls and women from female school sports teams.
Supporters of the laws argue that physiological differences from male puberty create competitive advantages; opponents argue the bans violate Title IX and the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.
In June 2025, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in United States v. Skrmetti to uphold Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors, a related but distinct question.
The NCAA updated its transgender athlete policy in February 2025 to limit competition in women's sports to athletes assigned female at birth, following a Trump executive order.