KOLKHORST, WHARTON APPLAUD SUPREME COURT RULING ON WOMEN’S SPORTS

  

State Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) and State Representative Trey Wharton (R-Huntsville) are praising the United States Supreme Court’s rulings on Tuesday addressing the participation of transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.

In the cases West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox, the Supreme Court upheld state laws in West Virginia and Idaho that base eligibility in sports for women and girls on biological sex, ruling that the laws fall within the Constitution and Title IX.

In a statement, Kolkhorst called the decision “a decisive victory for women, girls, and the integrity of Title IX.” 

In 2017, Kolkhorst authored the Privacy Act, a hotly debated bill that required public schools and government entities to designate bathrooms, dressing rooms and locker rooms for use based on the biological sex listed on a person’s birth certificate.  It also would have allowed businesses to create their own bathroom policies, and local governments would have been barred from passing ordinances interfering with them.

Kolkhorst said, “Time proved our critics wrong because this debate has never been about politics.  Today’s ruling confirms that this issue has always been about states providing opportunities for women and girls and protecting them from danger and indignity.  As I argued in 2017, this has always been a Title IX defense.”

Wharton also applauded the ruling in a statement, calling it “a victory for fairness, common sense, and the rule of law.”  He said, “As a parent, grandparent, and former college athlete, I understand the importance of preserving fairness and integrity in women's sports.  We should not rewrite longstanding protections that ensure equal opportunities for female athletes.”