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 transgender sports bans, expressing relief and a call for more legislative action across the country. Scanlan highlights the physical disparities seen in cases like Lia Thomas’s and advocates for universal protections in all 50 states to ensure equity and safety in women’s sports for future generations of athletes.
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The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday handed a historic victory to the “Save Women’s Sports” movement, ruling 6-3 in favor of upholding state laws that prohibit biological males from competing with girls and women.
The decision was met with celebration by female sports activists, including several high-profile Olympic athletes.
Leah O’Brien-Amico, three-time USA softball gold medalist
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 ruling by the Supreme Court is a victory for every girl who has ever dreamed of competing at the highest level,” O’Brien-Amico told Pak Gazette Digital.
“As a three-time Olympic gold medalist, I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to compete on equal terms with other biological women. The integrity and safety of women’s sports must be protected at every turn. We can continue to find ways to honor the dignity of every person while protecting the spaces that generations of women worked so hard to build.”
MyKayla Skinner, American gymnast silver medalist at Tokyo 2020
Mykayla Skinner and Simone Biles of Team USA pose for a photo during women’s podium training 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… I hope they wake up and realize how many girls are affected by this. It’s a real thing, and I think sometimes they overlook it and don’t see what’s happening to girls,” Skinner told Pak Gazette Digital.
American Kaillie Humphries holds an American flag after competing to win bronze in the women’s bobsleigh monobob heat 4 at the Cortina Sliding Center during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo on February 16, 2026. (Marco BERTORELLO/AFP)
“Women’s sports have changed my life, giving me opportunities and a career that I couldn’t have had anywhere else. I can do what I love because people fought to create and protect a space for biological women. The women’s category was established so biological women can compete on equal terms,” Humphries told Pak Gazette Digital.
“Today is a victory for generations of girls who will step onto a field, court, track or track. Now we can all dream big knowing that we are safe and have a fair environment to compete in any sport at all levels. It is a great victory for women’s sports in this country.”
Nancy Hogshead, three-time US Olympic gold medalist swimmer
Jenna Johnson, Nancy Hogshead, Carrie Steinseifer and Dara Torres of the United States celebrate winning the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games at the Olympic Swimming Stadium. (Porter Binks-RED USA TODAY)
“Today’s decision is a step in the right direction for women’s fairness 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 set limits around women’s sports categories should give sports governance a sigh of relief; they don’t need to worry about very expensive litigation draining their resources,” Hogshead told Pak Gazette Digital.
“But sports can’t have a web of state-by-state laws. Even age group and minor league athletes travel across state lines. Also, will sports governing bodies give national competitions to states like California that don’t protect women? In short, Democrats aren’t done with this issue that affects elections, power and everything else on their agenda.”
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Donna de Varona, three-time US Olympic gold medalist swimmer
President Ronald Reagan with Donna De Varona (blue dress) as they address the Women’s Sports Foundation. (Getty Images)
“Today, the Supreme Court’s decision upholds the important role that biology plays in the lives of all women. Protecting girls and women’s spaces is fair and humane,” de Varona told Pak Gazette Digital.
Martina Navratilova, women’s tennis legend and American Olympian in Athens 2004
Czech-American former professional tennis player Martina Navratilova during a joint press conference with Chris Evert of the USA, on Day 5 of the GNP Seguros Cancun 2023 WTA Finals, part of the Hologic WTA Tour, on November 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 to formally protect girls’ and women’s sports. Democratic politicians and Democratic states must wake up to the biological reality of the female sex,” Navratilova said in a statement provided to Pak Gazette Digital by Hogshead.
Katie Uhlaender, American skeleton athlete, five-time Olympian
Katie Uhlaender of Team USA 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 ruling from the Supreme Court is inspiring because it recognizes that protecting women as a biological class is not discrimination. It affirms that justice matters, that reality matters and that women should not have to apologize for asking for fair and safe competition. Without equity, there is no sport,” Uhlaender told Pak Gazette Digital.
“I was recently told by a respected academic and clinician that recognizing biological sex is discriminatory. I was directed to respected institutions like the American Psychological Association, and I was surprised to find misleading information on the matter. The APA suggested that the role of testosterone has not been shown to improve athletic performance. The causal effects of testosterone on human physiology have been understood for decades. To suggest otherwise gives the public an inaccurate picture of the science. Things like that have made it incredibly difficult for women defend justice”.
