Fight for Girls' Sports and Safety Taking Place in the US Supreme Court

Matt Margolis : Jan 13, 2026
California Family Council

"This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. This is an issue that is so serious it should concern every single American. ... We have whistleblowers, actually, Maria, coming forward now, after we released these documents. There are people who were around, who were working within the Intelligence Community at this time, who were so disgusted by what happened..." DNI Tulsi Gabbard

[CaliforniaFamily.org] As the US Supreme Court prepares to hear two landmark cases that could determine the future of women's and girls' sports nationwide, California Family Council Outreach Director and former collegiate athlete Sophia Lorey traveled to Washington, DC to speak on behalf of girls whose athletic opportunities, safety, and privacy have been undermined by gender ideology. (Screengrab image: via C-SPAN2)

Lorey represented California girls at the Save Women's Sports Press Conference, organized by the Republican Attorneys General Association, where she stood alongside state attorneys general and female athletes from across the country. The press conference came one day before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Hecox v. Little, two cases challenging state laws that protect girls' sports by ensuring teams are separated based on biological sex.

Speaking as a former college soccer player, Lorey emphasized that the debate is not abstract or political; it is about real girls losing real opportunities. She explained that she comes from a state where political leaders have refused to defend fairness in women's sports, even as female athletes are asked to sacrifice opportunities and privacy for the sake of ideology.

"Today is about saying something very simple and very clear, girls deserve fairness, safety and a level playing field," Lorey said.

A Childhood Dream Increasingly Out of Reach

Lorey shared how, at a young age, her dream of becoming a college athlete drove years of hard work and sacrifice, work that ultimately paid off. But she warned that girls across California and the nation are now being denied that same chance, not because they failed to compete, but because policies allow males to take their places.

As Outreach Director for California Family Council, Lorey regularly hears from girls and families across the state who describe losing roster spots, being forced into unsafe competition, and watching lifelong dreams slip away. In California, she noted, these harms persist while the state's top law enforcement official refuses to act.

"I get the calls from the female athletes across my state who are losing roster spots to boys," Lorey told the crowd. "And our own attorney general, Rob Bonta, won't lift a finger to protect girls."

The Supreme Court Cases That Could Reshape Girls' Sports Nationwide

At the center of the national debate are two landmark cases now before the US Supreme Court: West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Hecox v. Little. Both cases challenge state laws designed to protect fairness and safety in women's and girls' athletics by ensuring that sports teams are separated based on biological sex.

In 2021, West Virginia enacted the Save Women's Sports Act to protect equal athletic opportunities for women and girls by ensuring they are not forced to compete against males. The law was challenged by the ACLU, and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) intervened on behalf of Lainey Armistead, a former collegiate soccer player at West Virginia State University, to defend the law.

Although a federal district court allowed the law to take effect, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit later blocked its enforcement. ADF is now asking the US Supreme Court to reverse that decision and affirm that states may enforce laws protecting women's sports consistent with Title IX.

InHecox v. Little, Madison Kenyon and Mary Kate Marshall, collegiate athletes at Idaho State University, intervened to defend Idaho's Fairness in Women's Sports Act after losing placements to a male competitor in 2019. Idaho enacted the law in March 2020 to prevent similar unfair competition, but it was quickly challenged by the ACLU.

After the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit blocked enforcement of Idaho's law, ADF asked the Supreme Court to uphold the statute and confirm that states have the authority to protect fairness and safety in women's sports.

California Democrats Out of Step With Californians

During a question-and-answer session with reporters, Lorey addressed California Democrats' long record of prioritizing gender ideology over fairness for women and girls. She noted that California law, AB 1266, has allowed males to compete in girls' sports, and access girls' locker rooms and restrooms, since 2013, while repeated legislative attempts to reverse course have been killed on party-line votes.

Lorey stressed that protecting girls' sports is not a partisan issue, pointing to unlikely coalitions forming across California to defend female athletes.

"You are watching Christian conservative organizations lock hands with the San Francisco lesbian atheist. They are standing together united to protect girls sports."

She also called out Governor Gavin Newsom for publicly acknowledging the unfairness of allowing males to compete in girls' sports, while refusing to act when it mattered. Lorey referenced Newsom's comments to conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, in which the governor admitted the situation is "deeply unfair," even as two bills to protect girls' sports were moving through the legislature.

According to Lorey, this contradiction exposes a Capitol increasingly disconnected from the values and common sense of everyday Californians. She concluded by urging California Attorney General Rob Bonta to stand with the attorneys general defending women's sports before the Supreme Court, or risk being held accountable by voters.

"Have At It"

As Lorey concluded her remarks in Washington, she returned to a piece of advice her father shared with her before every soccer game, words that now guide her advocacy far beyond the field.

"Every game my dad would tell me, 'have at it.' It meant to leave it all on the field, to do whatever I could to stop a goal from going in or to score a goal, and to win the 50/50 balls. He now texts me, 'have at it' before events like this. And so to the Attorney Generals tomorrow, to the Supreme Court justices, and all the women and girls who are fighting for their own protection. 'Have at it.'" Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here