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 bans on transgender sports, expressing both relief and a call for further legislative action across the country. Scanlan highlights the physical disparities seen in cases like Lia Thomas’s and advocates for universal protection in all 50 states to ensure fairness and safety in women’s sports for future generations of female athletes.
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The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a historic victory to the “Save Women’s Sports” movement on Tuesday, ruling 6-3 to uphold state laws that prohibit biological males from competing with girls and women.
The decision was met with celebration by women’s sports activists, including several high-profile Olympians.
Leah O’Brien-Amico, three-time gold medalist in softball 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 on May 15, 2004. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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“Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for every girl who has ever dreamed of competing at the highest level,” O’Brien-Amico told Pakinomist Digital.
“As a three-time Olympic gold medalist, I am deeply grateful that I had the opportunity to compete on equal terms with other biological women. The integrity and safety of women’s sports must be protected at all costs. 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, US silver medalist gymnast at Tokyo 2020
Mykayla Skinner and Simone Biles of Team United pose for a photo during the women’s podium practice 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…hopefully they wake up and realize just how many girls are affected by this. It’s a real thing and I think sometimes it just goes over their heads and they don’t see what’s going on with the girls,” Skinner told Pakinomist Digital.
USA’s Kaillie Humphries holds a USA flag after competing to win bronze in the bobsleigh women’s monobob heat 4 at the Cortina Sliding Center during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo on February 16, 2026. (Marco BERTORELLO/AFP)
“Women’s sports have changed my life, providing opportunities and a career I couldn’t have had anywhere else. I get to do what I love because people fought to create and protect a space for biological women. The women’s category was established so that biological women can compete on a level playing field,” Humphries told Pakinomist Digital.
“Today is a victory for the generations of girls who will step onto a track, field, court or rink. We can all now dream big, knowing that we are safe and have a fair environment to compete in any sport at any level. It is a great victory for women’s sports in this country.”
Nancy Hogshead, triple Olympic gold medalist for the USA
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 Swim Stadium. (Porter Binks-USA TODAY NETWORK)
“Today’s decision is a step in the right direction for women’s justice and safety in sport! Still, it doesn’t go as far as the UK Supreme Court – it doesn’t define the meaning of ‘sex’ in law. Allowing 27 states to establish boundaries around women’s sports categories should give sports administrations a sigh of relief; they don’t have to worry about very expensive resources,” says Foxhead.
“But Sports can’t have a state-by-state web of laws. Even age-group and Little League athletes travel across state lines. Furthermore, would the sport’s governing bodies award national competitions to states like California that don’t protect women? In short, the Democrats are not done with this issue that affects 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, triple Olympic gold medalist for the USA
President Ronald Reagan with Donna De Varona (blue dress) while speaking at the Women’s Sports Foundation. (Getty Images)
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling reaffirms the important role biology plays in all women’s lives. Protecting girls and women’s spaces is fair, just and humane,” de Varona told Pakinomist Digital.
Martina Navratilova, women’s tennis legend and US Olympian in Athens 2004
Martina Navratilova, a Czech-American former professional tennis player, during a joint press conference with Chris Evert of the United States, on Day 5 of the GNP Seguros WTA Finals Cancun 2023 leg of the Hologic WTA Tour, Nov. 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 formally protecting girls’ and women’s sports. Democratic politicians and blue states need to wake up to the biological reality of a woman’s gender,” Navratilova said in a statement provided to Pakinomist Digital by Hogshead.
Katie Uhlaender, American skeleton athlete, five-time Olympian
Katie Uhlaender of Team United States poses for a portrait during the Team USA Beijing 2022 Olympic shoot on September 12, 2021 in Irvine, California. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Team USA)
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“Today’s Supreme Court ruling is inspiring because it recognizes that protecting women as a biological class is not discrimination. It confirms that fairness matters, that reality matters, and that women should not apologize for asking for fair and safe competition. Without Fairness, there is no sport,” Uhlaender told Pakinomist Digital.
“Recently, a respected academic and clinician told me that recognizing biological sex is discriminatory. They referred me to respected institutions like the American Psychological Association, and I was shocked to find misleading information about it. The APA suggested that the role of testosterone in improving athletic performance has not been proven. The causal effects of testosterone have been implied by testosterones. Otherwise, the public is giving an inaccurate picture of the science. Such things have made it incredibly difficult for women to advocate justice.”
