Attorney General Gentner Drummond is throwing Oklahoma's support behind measures to restrict transgender girls and women from participating in female sports teams, as reported by the Oklahoma Attorney General's office. This support comes in the form of amicus briefs filed by Drummond and several other attorneys general backing Idaho and West Virginia, where federal appeals courts have struck down laws aimed at limiting sports team eligibility based on sex assigned at birth.
According to the Oklahoma Attorney General's office, the "Save Women's Sports Act" in 2022 precludes transgender girls and women from joining female sports teams. This act is currently facing legal scrutiny along with similar laws in states across the nation. Meanwhile, the Ninth and Fourth U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals have questioned whether such laws comply with the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title IX regulations.
In a statement published on the Oklahoma Attorney General's office website, Drummond argued, "Oklahoma has a responsibility to protect fair competition for our female athletes." He further claimed that federal court decisions against state laws like Oklahoma's are compromising states' rights and the intent of Title IX, which was established to secure equal opportunities in athletics for women. according to the Oklahoma Attorney General's office.
The Oklahoma Attorney General's office, in its amicus briefs, asserts that the two circuits' decisions likely infringe upon states' abilities to govern sports within their jurisdictions. Notably, the Fourth Circuit also determined that Title IX necessitates states to accommodate transgender athletes in alignment with their gender identity. Despite this, Drummond and his counterparts are seeking the U.S. Supreme Court's intervention to uphold laws that they believe ensure "competitive fairness for female athletes."
