First Lady Melania Trump voiced her support for the LGBT community in a rare public statement on Tuesday, following the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold states’ ban on transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports in schools.
She began her post on X by quoting her own memoir, in which she said she ‘fully’ supports the ‘LGBTQIA+ community,’ but emphasizes that society ‘must also ensure that our female athletes are protected and respected.’
‘The US Supreme Court has now legally confirmed this opinion,’ she noted, before quoting the Supreme Court’s majority opinion in which the justices ruled the bans on transgender athletes do not go against Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
‘America, we can support the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and also protect opportunities for female athletes,’ the first lady concluded. ‘Respect everyone and keep girls’ sports fair.
‘Both ideals are essential.’
Her husband, President Donald Trump, had earlier celebrated the ruling, posting on his Truth Social page: ‘BIG WIN: The United States Supreme Court just RULED AGAINST MEN PLAYING IN WOMEN’S SPORTS. Wow! That takes that ridiculous situation off the table!!!’
Conservative gender policies were an important part of Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign.
First Lady Melania Trump issued a rare political statement on Tuesday, following the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold states’ bans on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports
The First Lady quoted from her own memoir as she said she ‘fully’ supports the ‘LGBTQIA+ community’
Tuesday’s ruling overturned decisions by lower courts that sided with trans students who challenged bans in Idaho and West Virginia as violating the Constitution and a federal anti-discrimination law.
West Virginia’s ban dates to April 2021, but was blocked three years later by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In his decision, Justice Brett Kavanaugh ruled that Title IX supports the idea of ‘separate sports teams for biological males and biological females.
‘Given the inherent physical differences between the sexes, allowing only biological females to play on women’s and girls’ teams can reduce the risk of physical injury and ensure fair competition,’ he wrote.
Kavanaugh then went on to argue that allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports can put biological female athletes ‘at a serious disadvantage.
‘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,’ he wrote.
‘That hard reality of sports cannot be ignored or swept under the rug.’
Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas concurred, writing: ‘Men and boys with gender dysphoria are not women or girls, even if they believe that they are.’
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
