Grand Canyon Times

One month after a Ninth Circuit panel blocked an Arizona law prohibiting biological males from participating in female-only sports, the Republican-led Arizona Legislature is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. The law, enacted in 2022, aimed to ensure fair competition for women and girls in Arizona's educational institutions.

In 2023, a lawsuit was filed by a progressive activist group on behalf of two boys taking puberty blockers who wanted to join girls' sports teams. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes did not defend the law in court, prompting Senate President Warren Petersen to step in. In September 2024, the Ninth Circuit upheld an injunction against the law.

Senate President Petersen, House Speaker Ben Toma, and Superintendent Tom Horne have petitioned SCOTUS to review the case. They argue that similar laws are effective in over two dozen states.

The plaintiffs contend that boys on puberty blockers do not have an advantage over girls; however, sports medicine experts note physiological differences between boys and girls that could lead to competitive advantages.

President Petersen stated: "We cannot remain silent and allow these wrongs against women and girls to continue. We must stand up and fight to protect our daughters, nieces, sisters, and granddaughters from bigger and stronger males who are claiming their identities, their private spaces, their sports, and are putting their safety at risk." He criticized Democratic leaders for not supporting the enforcement of the Save Women's Sports Act.

Kim Quintero

Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus