JOINT STATEMENT: General Assembly Democrats on SCOTUS Decision to Uphold State Bans on Transgender Athletes in Public Schools

DENVER, CO – Representatives Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, Kyle Brown, D-Louisville, and Senators Katie Wallace, D-Longmont, and Chris Kolker, D-Centennial, today released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision upholding state bans on transgender athletes in public schools. 

“Everyone should be free to be themselves. Today’s Supreme Court decision to uphold state bans on transgender student athletes at publicly funded schools in Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J is a devastating step backward for equality and the freedom to be ourselves.

“School sports are a place where young people find belonging and learn the importance of teamwork, integrity, and determination. Excluding trans kids from school sports is cruel, discriminatory, and opens the door to broader attacks on trans people and can create a slippery slope for other marginalized groups. 

“This decision will have consequences that reverberate for everyone because it permits states to discriminate and dismantle gender equality protections. However, transgender athletes are protected in Colorado, and it is our responsibility to push back against any and all attempts to roll back these protections. We will continue fighting, whether at the ballot box, in the legislature, or alongside community organizations, to stand with Colorado’s transgender and LGBTQ+ community.”