Victory for fairness in girls’ sports

July 6, 2026

Shannon Kessler

OPINION by SHANNON KESSLER

Last Tuesday, June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling upholding state laws in West Virginia and Idaho that protect women and girls’ sports by ensuring competition is based on biological sex. This is a huge win for fairness, safety, and opportunity for our daughters.

As a mom, former athlete, and founder of Save Girls’ Sports Central Coast, I’ve fought tirelessly alongside so many other parents because biological males competing in girls’ sports steals scholarships, titles, records, and safety from our daughters.

No amount of ideology changes basic biology or physiology.

I’ve heard directly from families on the Central Coast whose daughters have been displaced, injured, or forced out of the sports they love. That is not fairness — it is the erasure of female achievement.

This decision affirms what we’ve always known: Title IX and common sense demand protecting female sports categories. States can — and should — keep women’s sports for biological females. It’s a victory for every girl who trains hard, competes with grit, and deserves a level playing field.

The Supreme Court, in Justice Kavanaugh’s majority opinion, rightly recognized that separating teams by biological sex is consistent with both the Constitution and federal law.

To the brave girls, families, and advocates who have stood up despite enormous pressure: thank you. Your courage made this moment possible. Here on the Central Coast — in communities from Arroyo Grande to Salinas Valley and beyond — we will continue this fight.

As your Republican nominee for Assembly District 30, I will bring common-sense leadership to Sacramento that puts our daughters first, defends parental rights, and rejects extreme ideologies that harm girls and women. We will work to enshrine these protections in state policy so no California girl has to sit on the sidelines in her own sport.

Fairness isn’t hate — it’s justice. Our daughters deserve nothing less.

Shannon Kessler is the Republican nominee for California State Assembly District 30, Founder of Save Girls’ Sports Central Coast and a longtime advocate for Children and Central Coast families.