Commentary

What the Supreme Court’s Trans Sports Ruling Means

ROLLING OUT —

The Supreme Court issued one of its most closely watched rulings of the term today, deciding that states have the authority to bar transgender girls and women from competing on girls’ and women’s school sports teams. The 6-3 decision, written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, resolved 2 cases that had been working through the federal court […]

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Published

2 months ago

July 2, 2026

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By David Kesena | Rolling Out

The 6-3 decision, written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, resolved 2 cases that had been working through the federal court system for years: Little v. Hecox, involving Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, and West Virginia v. B.P.J., centered on West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act. Both laws restrict participation on girls’ and women’s teams to students whose biological sex, as recorded on their original birth certificate, matches the team they wish to join.

What the 2 underlying cases were about

The case from Idaho involved Lindsay Hecox, a transgender woman who sought to join the women’s cross-country team at Boise State University. Hecox, along with a cisgender teammate, argued that Idaho’s law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment by denying her the same opportunity to compete as her peers.

The West Virginia case centered on Becky Pepper-Jackson, a transgender girl who was barred from competing on her school’s girls’ cross-country and track teams under the state’s 2021 law. Her legal team argued that the policy violated both the Equal Protection Clause and Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding.

How the majority reached its decision

Writing for the 6-justice majority, Kavanaugh concluded that schools may determine eligibility for women’s and girls’ sports teams based on biological sex without running afoul of either the Constitution or Title IX. He pointed to the court’s earlier ruling in United States v. Skrmetti, reasoning that the laws classify students by sex rather than gender identity.

Kavanaugh also wrote that requiring courts to evaluate the individual athletic effects of puberty blockers or hormone therapy on a case-by-case basis would be an unworkable standard for judges to apply fairly. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett joined the majority opinion, along with Chief Justice John Roberts. Thomas and Gorsuch each wrote separate concurring opinions, with Thomas writing that transgender women and girls are not women or girls under the law, regardless of their personal identification.

Kavanaugh closed his opinion by noting that the desire to compete deserves respect regardless of which side of the issue a student-athlete falls on, and that no student should be ostracized or vilified because of this dispute.

The dissent’s core argument

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented in part. Sotomayor agreed that Pepper-Jackson’s Title IX claim could not succeed, but argued the majority went considerably further than necessary on the Equal Protection question. She wrote that West Virginia’s law relied on a sex-based classification that should have triggered heightened judicial scrutiny, and that Pepper-Jackson deserved the chance to prove in court that the state’s stated safety and fairness rationale did not actually apply to her individual circumstances.

Jackson wrote separately as well, arguing the majority’s reading of Title IX improperly limited the law’s protections to sex assigned at birth, when she believes the statute leaves room for individuals to live according to their own gender identity.

Reaction from advocates and lawmakers

The ruling drew sharp criticism from LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations. Jennifer Levi of GLAD Law argued the decision amounts to categorical exclusion rather than a genuine effort to balance fairness, while Sasha Buchert of Lambda Legal and Joshua Block of the ACLU both said the ruling denies transgender youth the same opportunities afforded to their peers. The Trevor Project, an organization focused on LGBTQ+ youth mental health, pointed to survey data showing high rates of stress and anxiety reported by transgender and nonbinary young people in connection with similar policies nationwide.

Supporters of the ruling framed it differently. Idaho Sen. Jim Risch called the decision a win for fairness in women’s sports and for the original intent of Title IX, praising his state for being among the first in the nation to pass such a law.

Notably, attorneys on both sides of the issue, including GLAD Law’s Chris Erchull, pointed out that the ruling does not require any state to adopt a similar ban, and that broader Title IX protections against sex discrimination for LGBTQ+ students remain intact going forward.

Based on reporting by Rolling Out.

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Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

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21 hours ago

September 7, 2026

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Black History

Jackie Wright Champions Bay Area Stories, Filmmakers and Cultural Institutions

As an award-winning communications professional, Wright has worked with corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, artists, and community organizations. In 2026, she expanded that work by launching an introductory public relations class for small businesses and nonprofits, offering practical tools for gaining visibility, shaping messages and building productive relationships with the media.

Published

1 week ago

August 30, 2026

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Jackie Wright of Wright Enterprises. Photo courtesy of Wright Enterprises.

By Carla Thomas

Jackie Wright has spent more than two decades helping people, organizations and communities understand the power of a well-told story.

As founder and president of Wright Enterprises, a San Francisco-based strategic communications and public affairs firm, Wright has built a career spanning journalism, public relations, media relations, crisis communications, community engagement and multimedia storytelling.

Wright’s commitment to storytelling is also deeply personal. She wrote and co-directed the 15-minute documentary, “Love Separated in Life…Love Reunited in Honor,” which chronicles the story of her parents, Specialist Five (S5 Wyley Wright Jr. and Ouida Fay McClendon Wright. Her father, a U.S. Army helicopter crew chief, died in Vietnam in 1964 while serving as an honor guard during a visit by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Decades later, Wright and her siblings had their father exhumed from a segregated cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida, and their mother moved from her burial place in Georgia so the couple could be reunited at Arlington National Cemetery in 2014.

The family journey later took Wright and her sister to Vietnam, where they discovered the former military compound that had been named in honor of their father and another fallen soldier. The documentary, centered on love, war, family, racial understanding, and remembrance, earned festival recognition at screenings.

“It was quite an honor to learn about my family’s history and share it on film,” said Wright.

That filmmaking experience complements Wright’s longstanding advocacy for independent cinema. She has served as a media partner and brand ambassador for Bay Area film festivals, including the San Francisco Black Film Festival, Oakland International Film Festival, and the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa.

“It’s important to help filmmakers and underrepresented stories reach broader audiences,” said Wright.

Whether promoting a neighborhood organization, championing an independent filmmaker or preserving her own family history, Wright has remained consistent. Through Wright Enterprises, she has turned communications into both a profession and a form of community service, telling stories that might otherwise go unheard.

“Our stories are an integral part of our history, and our history is not only American history, but worldwide,” she said.

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Business

Chef Sharon Lee Blends Culinary Excellence, Education and Empowerment

Lee’s professional training took her to New Orleans, where she worked at Restaurant August and expanded her knowledge of Cajun, Creole, and French cuisine under the guidance of internationally recognized chef John Besh. When she returned to San Francisco, Lee was part of the kitchen staff that helped reopen the remodeled Cliff House at Ocean Beach.

Published

1 week ago

August 30, 2026

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San Francisco Chef Sharon Lee, culinary educator and owner of The Spot! Photo courtesy of Chef Sharon Lee.

By Carla Thomas

For Chef Sharon Lee, the kitchen has never been just a place to prepare meals. It has been a classroom, a workplace, a training ground and a doorway to opportunity.

The San Francisco chef, culinary educator and owner of The Spot! Fine Catering Services has spent more than two decades building a career that blends professional cooking with community service.

Now, Lee is expanding that mission through culinary workforce training and plans to launch a culinary academy that would provide underserved youth and adults with a pathway into the food and hospitality industries. Lee’s passion for cooking began in her mother’s kitchen; however, she built a thriving barbering business before graduating from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, where she completed the Cordon Bleu program with an associate degree in operations.

“At some point I wanted to try something new, and I have wonderful memories of helping my mother in the kitchen,” said Lee.

Those experiences helped shape the culinary style she later brought to The Spot! Fine Catering Services, which she founded in 2003.

“I have cooking specialties, but I can also cook Italian, soul food, and many foods inspired by different cultures.”

Along the way, Lee strengthened her business and operational skills by working with Paula LeDuc Fine Catering and Levy Restaurants, as well as venues such as the Oakland Arena and Coliseum, Chase Center, and Moscone Convention Center.

As a culinary department head with the San Francisco Unified School District, she directed enrichment programming for high school juniors and seniors, designing curriculum, field trips and health education seminars. She also created a pilot culinary and nutrition program through the University of San Francisco’s Upward Bound Program, teaching college-bound students healthy cooking through a garden-to-table model.

Her community work has included youth culinary education through Big Moma House, food safety and kitchen fundamentals through the Holiday Apron & Hat Program, reentry and job-readiness training through Black Owned Project 365, and culinary instruction for formerly incarcerated men through the Black Cultural Zone in East Oakland.

In her spare time, Lee enjoys feeding her friends, family, and the homeless in the community.

Lee also hosts culinary cohorts to help underserved participants develop practical skills needed to enter the workforce as prep cooks.

Her long-term vision is to build a culinary academy that brings those experiences together under one roof. Lee wants the academy to provide students with more than cooking lessons. Her goal is to teach employable skills, discipline, confidence, and the business knowledge needed to move from an entry-level kitchen position into careers in catering, hospitality, food service management, or entrepreneurship.

For Lee, the recipe is simple.

“It’s all about the next generation and making sure they have the skills and a level of preparation to build a viable career, a good life, and always help others on your journey,” she said.

Chef Sharon Lee will be a guest vendor at the 11th Annual Black-Eyed Pea Festival on Sept. 12 with the Freedom Farmer’s Market at 4521 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.