1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments on Tuesday in two cases that could determine whether millions of LGBTQ+ Americans retain basic constitutional protections. Little v Hecox and West Virginia v BPJ concern state bans on transgender athletes, but the implications extend far beyond youth sports. If the court's conservative supermajority upholds these bans, the consequences could be devastating. Civil rights advocates warn the ruling could make it easier to ban trans students from appropriate bathrooms, restrict their ability to use chosen names and pronouns, limit protections against anti-LGBTQ+ harassment, and deny access to accurate identification documents. Joshua Block, senior counsel for the ACLU representing both students, explained that if the court rules laws targeting trans people do not warrant heightened scrutiny, then any type of law discriminating against trans people is going to be presumptively constitutional. The stakes are even higher for Title IX protections. A ruling could establish that trans people are not protected under Title IX, meaning schools could deny admission to or expel students simply for being transgender without violating federal law. The Trump administration has even asserted that Title IX requires schools to ban trans girls from sports, which could invalidate inclusive policies in states that currently protect trans youth. This controversy is manufactured. The NCAA president testified in 2024 that he was aware of fewer than 10 trans college athletes nationwide. Republican legislators have struggled to identify any trans girls playing sports in their states. States like California have allowed trans youth to play on teams matching their gender for years with little pushback until national political campaigns weaponized the issue. One conservative group acknowledged in 2019 that polling showed people could be swayed to support Republicans with ads raising fears about trans girls in sports. I urge you to publicly oppose these discriminatory bans and support federal legislation that protects LGBTQ+ Americans from discrimination. Decades of progress and the rights of millions are at risk.