Former NCAA Swimmer Paula Scanlan reacts to Supreme Court’s transgender sports ruling
Former NCAA Swimmer Paula Scanlan reacts to the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold transgender sports bans, expressing both relief and a call for further legislative action nationwide. Scanlan highlights the physical disparities seen in cases like Lia Thomas’s, advocating for universal protections across all 50 states to ensure fairness and safety in women’s sports for future generations of female athletes.
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The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a historic win to the “Save Women’s Sports” movement on Tuesday, ruling 6-3 to uphold state laws that ban biological males from competing with girls and women.
The decision was met with celebration by women’s sports activists, including several high-profile Olympians.
Leah O’Brien-Amico, three-time gold medalist in softball for the U.S.
Softball player Leah O’Brien-Amico poses for a portrait during the USOC Media Summit at the Marriott Marquis in New York, N.Y., on May 15, 2004. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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“Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for every girl who has ever dreamed of competing at the highest level,” O’Brien-Amico told Digital.
“As a three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, I am deeply grateful that I had the opportunity to compete on a level playing field with other biological females. The integrity and safety of women’s sports must be protected in every way. We can continue to find ways to honor the dignity of every person while protecting the spaces that generations of women worked so hard to build.”
MyKayla Skinner, U.S. silver medalist gymnast at Tokyo 2020
Mykayla Skinner and Simone Biles of Team United States pose for a photo during Women’s Podium Training ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on July 22, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
“People from the far left… hopefully they wake up and just realize just how many girls are affected by this. It’s a real thing, and I think sometimes it just goes over their head and they don’t see what’s going on with the girls,” Skinner told Digital.
USA’s Kaillie Humphries holds an USA flag after competing to win bronze in the bobsleigh women’s monobob heat 4 at Cortina Sliding Centre during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Feb. 16, 2026. (Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)
“Women’s sports has changed my life, providing opportunities and a career I couldn’t have got elsewhere. I get to do what I love because people fought to create and protect a space for biological women. The female category was established so biological women can compete on a level playing field,” Humphries told Digital.
“Today is a win for the generations of girls that will step on to a field, court, track, or rink. We can now all Dream Big knowing we are safe and have a fair environment to compete in any sport at all levels. It’s a big win for women’s sports in this country.”
Nancy Hogshead, three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer for the U.S.
Jenna Johnson, Nancy Hogshead, Carrie Steinseifer and Dara Torres of United States celebrate winning the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games at Olympic Swim Stadium. (Porter Binks-USA TODAY NETWORK)
“Today’s decision is a step in the right direction for female fairness & safety in sport! Still, it doesn’t go as far as the UK Supreme Court — it doesn’t define the meaning of ‘sex’ in law. Allowing 27 states to establish boundaries around female sport categories should give sports governance a sigh of relief; they don’t need to worry about very expensive litigation sucking their resources,” Hogshead told Digital.
“But Sport cannot have a state-by-state web of laws. Even age group and Little League athletes travel across state lines. Further, will sport governing bodies award national competitions to states like California, who do not protect females? In short, Democrats aren’t done with this issue impacting elections, power and everything else on their agenda.”
MARTINA NAVRATILOVA SAYS SHE TRIED TO WARN KAMALA HARRIS’ CAMPAIGN ABOUT TRANS ATHLETES: ‘NOBODY WOULD LISTEN’
Donna de Varona, three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer for the U.S.
President Ronald Reagan with Donna De Varona (blue dress) as they address the Women’s Sports Foundation. (Getty Images)
“Today the Supreme Court decision upholds the significant role biology plays in the lives of all women. Safeguarding girls and women’s spaces is just, fair and humane,” de Varona told Digital.
Martina Navratilova, women’s tennis legend and U.S. Olympian at Athens 2004
Martina Navratilova, a Czech-American former professional tennis player, during a join press conference with Chris Evert of the USA, on Day 5 of the GNP Seguros WTA Finals Cancun 2023 part of the Hologic WTA Tour, on November 2, 2023, in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“The Supreme Court made the proper decision today, allowing 27 states to continue formally protecting girls’ and women’s sports. Democratic politicians and blue states need to wake up to the biological reality of a female’s sex,” Navratilova said in a statement provided to Digital by Hogshead.
Katie Uhlaender, U.S. skeleton athlete, five-time Olympian
Katie Uhlaender of Team United States poses for a portrait during the Team USA Beijing 2022 Olympic shoot on September 12, 2021 in Irvine, California. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Team USA)
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“Today’s Supreme Court ruling is inspiring because it recognizes that protecting women as a biological class is not discrimination. It affirms that fairness matters, that reality matters, and that women shouldn’t have to apologize for asking for fair and safe competition. Without Fairness, there is no sport,” Uhlaender told Digital.
“Recently, a respected academic and clinician, told me that acknowledging biological sex is discriminatory. They directed me to respected institutions like the American Psychological Association, and I was shocked to find misleading information on it. The APA suggested that the role of testosterone isn’t proven to enhance athletic performance. The causal effects of testosterone on human physiology have been understood for decades. Suggesting otherwise gives the public an inaccurate picture of the science. Things like that have made it incredibly difficult for women to advocate for fairness.”
