NCJW Outraged as US Supreme Court Abandons Transgender Youth
We refuse to accept that the Court just told transgender kids they don’t belong.
WASHINGTON, DC — The Supreme Court today, in West Virginia v. BPJ, upheld Idaho and West Virginia laws banning transgender women and girls from participating in school and university sports inconsistent with their biological sex, ruling that the restrictions do not violate Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause.
In response, Darcy Hirsh, vice president of government relations and advocacy at National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) — the nation’s leading Jewish feminist civil rights organization, representing 250,000 changemakers across the United States and Israel — released the following statement:
“We are devastated, but we are not surprised. This Supreme Court has shown us — repeatedly and without apology — whose dignity it will defend, and whose dignity it will not. Today, it abandoned transgender children across the country.
“What happened today is not really about sports, but rather it is about whether transgender people are permitted to exist fully in public life — to compete, to belong, to be seen as who they are. This ruling answers that question with cruelty. A transgender girl who just wants to run track with her teammates is now a legal target. So is the next transgender student, in the next state, in the next case.
“The states that pushed these bans have never been subtle about what they want: transgender people out of classrooms, out of locker rooms, out of public life. Today, the Supreme Court gave them the legal foundation on which they’ll build their attacks. We have seen this before: the incisive, deliberate exclusion of people from the spaces where life happens. It does not stop on its own.
“Judaism teaches that every human being is created b’tzelem Elohim — in the image of the Divine. Not some people, not only people whose existence makes others totally comfortable — every person. It is a moral obligation, and it is one this Court has failed.
“To every transgender young person today: you belong. In the gym, on the track, in your school, in this world. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
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National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 133-year-old Jewish feminist civil rights organization working for equity and justice for women, children, and families in the United States and Israel. Through the efforts of our 250,000 grassroots advocates and 46 local sections, NCJW combines education, direct service, and advocacy to effect lasting social change at the local, state, and national levels. We approach our work through the intersections of gender, economic, and racial justice to center those most impacted in a uniquely Jewish way. Learn more at NCJW.org and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.