A 15-year-old West Virginia sophomore could lose her final season of high-school sports if the Supreme Court upholds state bans on transgender girls’ participation.
At a Glance
- Becky Pepper-Jackson, a transgender girl, placed third in last year’s state discus throw
- West Virginia and Idaho laws bar trans girls from girls’ teams; lower courts blocked them
- Justices hear arguments Tuesday under the Constitution and Title IX
- Why it matters: A ruling could end her athletic career and affect similar bans nationwide
A Season on the Line
Becky Pepper-Jackson discovered her strength in the discus circle. As a freshman she earned bronze in West Virginia’s state meet; this year she hopes to improve. Yet a state law passed after her debut season labels her ineligible because she is transgender.
The statute is one of more than two dozen nationwide. Lower courts have enjoined West Virginia’s version, but the conservative-leaning Supreme Court has recently allowed multiple restrictions on transgender people to take effect while cases proceed.
Two Cases, One Question
On Tuesday the justices will consider:
- A challenge to West Virginia’s ban brought by Becky Pepper-Jackson
- A similar Idaho law challenged by Boise State student Lindsay Hecox
Both lawsuits argue the bans violate:
- The Constitution’s equal-protection clause
- Title IX, the 1972 federal law that bars sex discrimination in education
Decisions are expected by early summer.
A Rural Routine Upended
Olivia Bennett Harris interviewed Pepper-Jackson and her mother, Heather Jackson, in their home outside Bridgeport, West Virginia, 40 miles southwest of Morgantown. She began identifying as a girl in third grade and has taken puberty-blocking medication. After the Court in June upheld state restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, she travels out of state for treatment.
She practices at school and in her backyard, lifts weights, and competes in discus and shot put. Last season:
- 3rd in discus
- 8th in shot put
Improvement, she says, comes from “hard work.” Critics cite that same progress as proof she has an unfair edge.
State Officials: Fairness at Stake
West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey told Olivia Bennett Harris:
> “There are immutable physical and biological characteristic differences between men and women that make men bigger, stronger, and faster than women. And if we allow biological males to play sports against biological females, those differences will erode the ability and the places for women in these sports which we have fought so hard for over the last 50 years.”
McCuskey said he knows of no other transgender athlete in the state currently seeking to compete on girls’ or women’s teams.
National Momentum
Despite small numbers:
- The NCAA and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee have barred trans women from women’s events
- President Trump signed an executive order pressing for similar exclusions
- His administration has moved to remove trans service-members and declare gender fixed at birth
An October 2025 AP-NORC poll found:
- ~60% of U.S. adults favor requiring trans minors to play on teams matching birth sex
- ~20% oppose
- ~25% have no opinion
The Williams Institute at UCLA estimates:
- 2.1 million adults (0.8%) identify as transgender
- 724,000 youth age 13-17 (3.3%) identify as transgender
Cultural Flashpoints
John Bursch, litigator for the conservative Christian firm Alliance Defending Freedom, framed the issue broadly:
> “I think there are cultural, political, legal headwinds all supporting this notion that it’s just a lie that a man can be a woman… And if we want a society that respects women and girls, then we need to come to terms with that truth.”
Heather Jackson sees hatred, not principle:
> “Hatred. It’s nothing but hatred… This community is the community du jour. We have a long history of isolating marginalized parts of the community.”
Hostility on the Field
At last year’s championship, a competitor wore a T-shirt reading: “Men Don’t Belong in Women’s Sports.”
Pepper-Jackson responded:
> “I wish these people would educate themselves… I’m just there to have a good time… it hurts sometimes… I try to brush it off.”
Court papers allege she sexually bullied a teammate using graphic language. Asked about the claim, she replied:
> “I did not. And the school ruled that there was no evidence to prove that it was true.”
What the Law Says
In 2020 the Court ruled that workplace bias against trans people is sex discrimination under Title VII. Yet last term it refused to extend similar logic to a case involving medical care for trans minors.
The current cases will test whether the Constitution’s equal-protection guarantee or Title IX’s ban on sex discrimination shields trans athletes. Dozens of briefs have flooded in from:
- Republican- and Democratic-led states
- Members of Congress
- Athletes, doctors, scientists, scholars
If the Gavel Falls Against Her
If she is barred, Pepper-Jackson plans to:
- Continue weight training
- Play trumpet in concert and jazz bands
She admits:
> “It will hurt a lot… but that’s what I’ll have to do.”
Key Takeaways
- A Supreme Court green light would end her season and embolden similar bans
- A ruling the other way would protect her eligibility and complicate enforcement in states with restrictions
- The decision is expected before summer break
