A Statement on the Supreme Court's Decision on Transgender Student Athletes

On June 30, 2026, the United States Supreme Court issued a deeply disappointing decision, upholding laws in Idaho and West Virginia that prohibit transgender girls and women from participating on girls' and women's school sports teams.

We know this news is painful. For many in our community, it is another reminder that transgender people, especially young people, continue to have their lives debated in courtrooms and legislatures instead of being welcomed as full members of their schools and communities.

As devastating as this decision is, it is important to understand what has changed and what has not.

This ruling is specific to school sports and the legal challenges to laws in Idaho and West Virginia. The Court found that these state laws do not violate Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. It does not create a nationwide ban on transgender athletes. It does not require states to exclude transgender girls and women from participating in sports. States remain free to adopt inclusive policies if they choose.

Here in Michigan, there is currently no statewide ban preventing transgender girls and women from participating in school sports. Legislation has been introduced in the Michigan House that would require school athletic teams to be based on biological sex, but it has not become law. Governor Gretchen Whitmer has said she would veto legislation banning transgender athletes from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity.

It is also important to remember that this decision does not erase the important protections that exist in Michigan. The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in employment, housing, education, and places of public accommodation. Those protections remain in place today. This ruling does not change those rights, nor does it affect the ability to update identity documents or many of the other legal protections transgender people rely on every day.

Michigan has chosen a different path. While today's decision is a painful setback, our state's civil rights laws continue to affirm that LGBTQ+ people deserve equal opportunity and equal treatment. That progress did not happen by accident. It happened because generations of advocates, organizers, families, and community members refused to give up. We owe it to those who came before us, and to those who will come after us, to keep moving forward.

That does not make this decision any less harmful.

Sports are about more than competition. They are about friendship, belonging, confidence, teamwork, and community. Every young person deserves the opportunity to experience those things. When transgender youth are singled out and excluded, it sends a message that they are less welcome, less worthy, and less deserving of those same opportunities. We reject that message.

To every transgender person reading this: you belong here. You are valued. You deserve to participate fully in your community, to be treated with dignity and respect, and to live authentically. Nothing about today's decision changes that.

The Jim Toy Community Center will continue to advocate for policies that affirm the dignity, safety, and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people throughout Washtenaw County and across Michigan. We will continue building community, strengthening partnerships, and speaking up when our community is harmed.

Our community has faced difficult moments before. We have always found our way forward together, not because the road was easy, but because we refused to leave one another behind.

We will do that again.