feature image photo by JASON ALPERT-WISNIA / Contributor via Getty Images

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments for two important cases addressing the inclusion of trans youth in sports: Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. BPJ.

I have written about both of these cases here in TNT before, but let me give a little breakdown of what these cases are arguing and where they came from. Little v. Hecox was filed on behalf of Lindsay Hecox, a trans student at Boise State University who was barred from participating in college athletics due to Idaho’s 2020 trans sports ban. The case is being brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Idaho, Legal Voice, and Cooley LLP, which are arguing that the ban violates Hecox’s rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. West Virginia v. BPJ was filed on behalf of Becky, a trans middle school student who was prevented from trying out for girls’ sports teams at school by the West Virginia Board of Education, and her family. This case is also being brought by the ACLU, the ACLU of West Virginia, and Cooley LLP along with Lambda Legal, which are arguing that Becky’s rights under Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution were violated by her being excluded from trying out.

The Supreme Court decided they would hear the cases together last year, which means the judgment for both cases will come down this Spring. As we saw in the ruling of the case of the U.S. v. Skrmetti in July 2025, it is unlikely the conservative and far-right majority Supreme Court will rule that trans youth have a right to participate in sports, at least not under the current rights granted to us under the U.S. Constitution. Justice Amy Coney Barrett already pointed out in her written opinion on the Skrmetti case that she and other members of the Supreme Court do not believe trans people and, consequently, trans youth are even protected under the Constitution. Subsequently, the question of trans people participating in trans sports has also been a dividing line for Democrats, liberals, and others on the “left,” as well, so it’s possible we could witness some agreement on exclusion from the more liberal-leaning justices.

This might leave you wondering exactly what we’re supposed to do here, especially if/when the final decision is brought down that trans people are banned from participating in sex-segregated athletics. I’ll admit there isn’t a lot but I do think the cases and their hearings can lead to broader conversations on resistance strategy, organization, and how we’ll move forward. For now, all we can do is wait to read and hear the arguments from both sides so we know exactly what we’re dealing with for the next few months.

Some Good Trans News For Once

Christians gather to protest violence against trans people: “Not in Jesus’ name.” In case you missed it, shortly after Christmas, a group of Episcopalians led by the Stone Catcher Project marched, sung, and prayed around the Capitol Rotunda and Capitol Square to protest the anti-trans rhetoric and violence being pushed forward by the U.S. government.

Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams gave trans people a huge gift just before leaving office. I know it feels almost unbelievable that this man is capable of doing something beneficial for anyone other than himself, but apparently, he did. Just before Eric Adams left office earlier this month, he “allocated $2 million in emergency funds to trans organizations suffering in the wake of sweeping federal aid cuts.” I think $2 million is a far cry from “a huge gift” but this will definitely be useful to the trans community of NYC in the immediate future.

Democratic officials sue RFK Jr. over attempt to limit gender-affirming care for trans youth. Don’t be fooled by this headline: No one in Congress is doing this. Actually, this lawsuit is being pursued by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and the attorneys general of 18 states and the District of Columbia. It will be extremely interesting to see how this unfolds in the coming months.

Trump sued over denial of gender-affirming care to federal employees. Some more litigation news here…”Human Rights Campaign Foundation has filed a class action complaint against the Trump administration on behalf of federal employees who will be denied gender-affirming health care for themselves and their families.” Considering the proposals for new rules regarding what insurance companies can and cannot do that are currently being decided on by the administration, this case might have some impact on what happens to those rules in the future.

Therapists push back on anti-trans continuing education. After getting an email on an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited continuing education course being offered by anti-trans group Therapy First, a group of psychologists are pressing the APA to strip Therapy First’s accreditation in the field of psychotherapy.

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Vermont bill would create state trust fund for private trans youth care clinics as Trump threatens hospital funding. Now, this is the kind of shit you like to see from states. Instead of even wasting time going back and forth with the Trump administration, representatives in Vermont are trying to get the state to establish the Affirming Health Care Trust Fund. This fund would give private healthcare providers monetary support from the state to keep providing gender-affirming care to trans youth who need it without relying on the federal government at all.

Trans news from across the pond:

Trans hackers target Free Speech Union over work with transphobes and racists. A UK trans activist group called BASH BACK hacked the files of the British nonprofit Free Speech Union (FSU) in order to expose their donation records to the public in attempt to discredit the FSU. I hope it works!

Almost no one is complaining about trans women in women’s spaces, study finds. Today in both “Water is Wet” News and “Yeah, No Shit” News: The studies and survey results are in and no one actually notices or cares that trans people are sharing spaces with them on a regular basis.

Trans News I Wish I Didn’t Have to Report

Washington state PAC pushes for trans sports ban with genital inspections. I don’t even know what to say about this. Obviously, this is the end result of what these anti-trans losers have been pushing for the last few years, but it’s still so horrifying to imagine it coming to fruition. And again — not that it matters as much as the constant bombardment of trans people trying to live their lives — this is yet another example of how these policies impact literally everyone’s right to privacy and bodily autonomy.

Children’s Hospital Colorado has suspended gender-affirming care for transgender youth amid a new federal investigation. For the second time now since the Trump administration took office, Children’s Hospital Colorado is pausing treatment for trans youth. This time though, it’s a preemptive measure due to the threat of investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, another Colorado hospital, Denver Health, will also be complying preemptively by suspending gender-affirming care for trans youth, including hormone and puberty-blocking therapies.

Former New York Times editor says paper’s anti-trans slant came from the top. I think we all knew this is exactly what was happening. The NYT has been manufacturing consent for the oppression of trans people — along with manufacturing consent for the genocide in Gaza — for a long time now. Learn more about the boycott.

Maine school district forced to increase police presence after approving trans inclusion. The threats against trans students by other students and adults alike in Maine School Administrative District 60 have become so concerning that the schools have had to increase security on campus. I’ll be the first to say that cops don’t belong in schools ever, so I find literally every aspect of this reality absolutely heartbreaking.

Bari Weiss’s CBS newsroom reportedly clashed over how to cover transgender people. At this point, I don’t think any of the reports of how Weiss is handling her new position could possibly get much worse. She sucks! And corporate news sucks, too!

Parents allowed to stop children learning about LGBTQ+ people, judge rules. After a Massachusetts parent sued his child’s elementary school for including information on LGBTQ+ rights in their learning materials, Boston federal judge F. Dennis Saylor IV ruled the school district has to work with parents who want to prevent their children from receiving this material. We’re entering the second wave of the “Parental Rights” era, it seems.

Last Bits of Trans News

Here at Autostraddle.com, Woodlief McCabe wrote about the misuse of the phrase “gender-affirming care.”

Latina trans women are celebrating the quinceañeras they’ve always dreamed of. I can’t lie to y’all…this made me tear up quite a bit.

Girl Scout Cookie season is about to officially kick off, and many people are putting together lists of young, trans Girl Scouts who you can support through your purchase of cookies this year. I’ll be picking up a couple boxes of Tagalongs and Samoas myself.

Zohran Mamdani tapped an iconic transgender New Yorker to narrate his inauguration. Bernie Wagenblast continues getting all of the praise, flowers, and legendary status she deserves. You love to see it.

Cardi B celebrates her transgender glam squad: “These are the dolls. I can’t live without them.” What is there to say about this…she’s right that trans women have had an incalculable impact on our culture whether people want to admit that or not. Big ups to her for saying it straight out.

And finally for this week, a beautiful essay from Erin Reed on holding onto hope and refusing to back down from fighting for a better future.