On Thursday, a federal judge ruled in favor of West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act, which separates sports teams by biological sex rather than gender identity, according to a report from The Daily Wire.
Judge Joseph R. Goodwin, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, stated in his decision that “on average, males outperform females athletically due to inherent physical differences between the sexes.”
He also noted that the state’s classification of sports teams based on biological sex was “substantially related to its interest in providing equal athletic opportunities for females.”
Despite labeling the Save Women’s Sports Act, also known as H.B. 3293, as an attempt to “politicize participation in school athletics for transgender students,” Judge Goodwin upheld the law.
Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Christiana Kiefer, who represented an intervenor in the case, called the decision “a win for reality,” stating that “female athletes deserve to compete on a level playing field” and that “allowing males to compete in girls’ sports destroys fair competition, safety on the field, and women’s athletic opportunities.”
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey also praised the ruling, stating that it was necessary to “safeguard” opportunities for girls and women in sports and to “protect” them from being “lost” to male competitors.
