West Virginia Asks Supreme Court to Lift Stay on Transgender Sports Ban

‘When biological males compete and win in a women’s event, female athletes lose their opportunity to shine,’ the attorney general said.

Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines (C) and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) speak at a press conference in the state Capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on April 24, 2024, in a still from a video. West Virginia Attorney General's Office/Screenshot via NTD

West Virginia filed an appeal on July 16 with the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the state’s law that prevents male athletes from playing on school sports teams designated for females.

The state’s Save Women’s Sports Act, enacted in 2021, stipulates that biological females’ teams based on “competitive skill” or involving “a contact sport” must not be open to males.