In June 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) ruled to restrict gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. In that case, the Court’s decision said a person’s identification as “transgender” is distinct from their “biological sex.” It did not touch on whether discrimination against transgender people amounts to sex-based discrimination.
However, as a result of the Court’s ruling the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has begun citing that decision in findings related to transgender access to athletics and facilities. Further, although the Court’s ruling in U.S. vs. Skrmetti did not directly involve education civil rights law, the Trump administration has used it to bolster its stance that Title IX can be used to exclude transgender students from teams aligning with their gender identities. In fact, by using the decision to inform Title IX cases, the USDE has excluded transgender students from protections against sex-based discrimination.
Further clarity on this issue is expected when the Court rules on a transgender athletics case during its next term. For more details from K-12 Dive click here.