Former NCAA swimmer Paula Scanlan reacts to Supreme Court ruling on transgender sports
Former NCAA swimmer Paula Scanlan reacts to the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the ban on transgender sports, expressing both relief and a call for further legislative action nationwide. Scanlan highlights the physical disparities seen in cases like Lia Thomas’, advocating for universal protections in all 50 states to ensure fairness and safety in women’s sports for future generations of female athletes.
NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
The U.S. Supreme Court gave a historic victory to the Save Women’s Sports movement on Tuesday, ruling 6-3 in favor of upholding state laws that prohibit biological males from competing with girls and women.
This decision was welcomed by women’s sports activists, including several high-level Olympians.
Leah O’Brien-Amico, three-time softball gold medalist for the United States
Softball player Leah O’Brien-Amico poses for a portrait during the USOC Media Summit at the Marriott Marquis in New York, NY, May 15, 2004. (Matthieu Stockman/Getty Images)
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is a victory for every girl who has ever dreamed of competing at the highest level,” O’Brien-Amico told PK Press Club Digital.
“As a three-time Olympic gold medalist, I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to compete on an equal footing with other biological women. The integrity and safety of women’s sports must be protected in every way possible. We can continue to find ways to honor the dignity of each person while protecting the spaces that generations of women have worked so hard to build.”
MyKayla Skinner, American gymnast who won silver at Tokyo 2020
Mykayla Skinner and Simone Biles of Team USA pose for a photo during women’s podium training ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Ariake Gymnastics Center on July 22, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
“People on the far left…I hope they wake up and realize how many girls are affected by this. It’s a real thing, and I think sometimes it goes over their heads and they don’t see what’s going on with girls,” Skinner told PK Press Club Digital.
Kaillie Humphries of the United States holds an American flag after competing to win bronze in heat 4 of the women’s monobob bobsleigh at the Cortina Sliding Center during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, February 16, 2026. (Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)
“Women’s sports has changed my life, providing opportunities and a career that I couldn’t have had anywhere else. I can do what I love because people fought to create and protect a space for biological women. The women’s category was created so biological women could compete on an equal footing,” Humphries told PK Press Club Digital.
“Today is a victory for generations of girls who will step onto the field, track or ice rink. Now we can all dream big knowing that we are safe and have a fair environment to compete in any sport at any level. This is a great victory for women’s sport in this country.”
Nancy Hogshead, three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer for the United States
Jenna Johnson, Nancy Hogshead, Carrie Steinseifer and Dara Torres of the United States celebrate victory in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games at Olympic Aquatics Stadium. (Porter Binks-USA TODAY Network)
“Today’s decision is a step in the right direction for fairness and safety for women in sport! Yet it does not go as far as the UK Supreme Court – it does not define the meaning of the word ‘sex’ in the law. Allowing 27 states to establish limits around women’s sporting categories should provide a sigh of relief to sports governance; they do not have to worry about very expensive litigation draining their resources,” Hogshead said at PK Press Club Digital.
“But sports can’t have a web of state-by-state laws. Even age group and little league athletes cross state lines. Plus, will sports governing bodies award national competitions to states like California that don’t protect women? In short, Democrats aren’t done with this issue that impacts 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 for the United States
President Ronald Reagan with Donna de Varona (blue dress) as they address the Women’s Sports Foundation. (Getty Images)
“Today, the Supreme Court’s decision confirms the important role biology plays in the lives of all women. Protecting girls’ and women’s spaces is right, just and humane,” de Varona told PK Press Club Digital.
Martina Navratilova, women’s tennis legend and American Olympian at Athens 2004
Czech-American former professional tennis player Martina Navratilova during a joint press conference with Chris Evert of the United States on Day 5 of the GNP Seguros WTA Cancun 2023 Finals, 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 right decision today, allowing 27 states to continue to formally protect women’s and women’s sports. Democratic politicians and blue states must wake up to the biological reality of the female sex,” Navratilova said in a statement provided to PK Press Club Digital by Hogshead.
Katie Uhlaender, American skeleton athlete, five-time Olympian
Katie Uhlaender of Team United States poses for a portrait during Team USA’s Beijing 2022 Olympics filming on September 12, 2021 in Irvine, California. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Team USA)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
“Today’s decision from the Supreme Court 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 should not have to apologize for demanding fair and safe competition. Without fairness, there is no sport,” Uhlaender told PK Press Club Digital.
“Recently, a respected academic and clinician told me that recognizing biological sex is discriminatory. They directed me to respected institutions like the American Psychological Association, and I was shocked to find misleading information on this subject. The APA suggested that it is not proven that the role of testosterone improves athletic performance. The causal effects of testosterone on human physiology have been understood for decades. Suggesting otherwise gives the public an inaccurate picture of “Science like this has made it extremely difficult for women to stand up for fairness.”
