The Supreme Court upheld laws barring transgender women and girls from sports at public schools, drawing praise from Oklahoma lawmakers.
The ruling will safeguard Oklahoma's Save Women's Sports Act, a 2022 law prohibiting transgender student athletes from participating in women's and girls' sports. Oklahoma is among 27 states with similar bans.
In its 6-3 ruling, the court determined on Tuesday that comparable laws in Idaho and West Virginia were permissible under the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.
Gov. Kevin Stitt wrote in a social media post that the high court upheld a "common sense law."
"Because states like Oklahoma enacted the Save Women's Sports Act, girls all across the country are protected in the locker room and get to compete on a level playing field," Stitt wrote on X Tuesday morning.
Several members of the state's Congressional delegation applauded the court's decision.
Moving forward, Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-OK, wrote that fairness in women's sports must be protected.
"Today's Supreme Court decision is a victory for common sense," Bice said in an X post. "Every girl deserves the chance to compete on a fair and safe playing field against other biological females."
Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-OK, and Kevin Hern, R-OK, both wrote on X that the decision is a win. Hern is the Republican nominee to replace Markwayne Mullin in the U.S. Senate.
"This is a victory for every female athlete in America who has dedicated herself to her sport and deserves to compete on a level playing field," Hern wrote.
Sen. James Lankford, R-OK, said it protects fairness in women's sports.
"This ruling protects both the opportunities Title IX was designed to guarantee and the women who have earned them," Lankford wrote.
Writing for the majority on Tuesday, Justice Brett Kavanaugh referred to transgender women as "biological males" and argued that their participation in girls' and women's sports posed "safety and competitive fairness issues."
"Allowing a biological male athlete to compete on a girls' team necessarily displaces or disadvantages a female athlete—replacing her on the roster, knocking her out of the starting lineup, reducing her playing time, depriving her of a medal, and the like," Kavanaugh wrote.
In a Tuesday press release, the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ civil rights group, called the decision "deeply disappointing." HRC President Kelley Robinson said the decision threatened the safety and privacy of young people.
"When politicians convince the public that any girl could be 'the wrong kind of girl,' they invite harassment, intimidation, invasive questioning, or even an inspection of their body by a total stranger," Robinson said in the press release. "It's sadly just the latest decision by the conservative justices on the Supreme Court to roll back protections for marginalized communities and create a second class citizenship for millions of people."
Upon Stitt's signature of the Save Women's Sports Act in 2022, ACLU of Oklahoma Executive Director Tamya Cox-Touré denounced the law as a violation of the constitution and said that the legislature had overlooked "real issues with gender equality in sports," including gaps in resources and pay equity.
Both Republican candidates for Oklahoma governor, Mike Mazzei and Attorney General Gentner Drummond, also applauded the Supreme Court decision.
In a press release, Drummond said athletic competitions should be based on biological sex. Drummond has filed two multi-state amicus briefs in support of bans in cases before high court, according to the release.
"I appreciate the court's decision which will allow Oklahoma to ensure fair competition for female athletes," Drummond said.
Mazzei, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, said he believes in two genders in a press release.
"As Governor, the law of Oklahoma will be clear; biological boys will stay out of girls' sports and locker rooms," Mazzei said.
Oklahoma's law barring transgender women and girls from competing in school sports passed its fourth anniversary in March.