Tuesday’s Supreme Court hearing on transgender athletes in women’s sports inspired confidence that the majority of justices will side with legal defenses to “save women’s sports” and uphold state bans on biological males in these sports.

But some activists are far from satisfied with the way the hearings were conducted.

Several female athletes involved in the case and others who rallied outside the courtroom to support the cultural movement spoke to Fox News Digital about their reactions to the hearing, arguments and the judge’s questions.

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Women’s reactions to the hearing ranged from hopeful optimism at the landmark ruling to disgusted disappointment at the judge’s stance and choice of words.

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Female athletes in the lawsuit speak outside the U.S. Supreme Court after the justices hear arguments in a challenge to state bans on transgender athletes in women’s sports, Washington, DC, January 13, 2026 (Washington, DC, January 13, 2026) The U.S. Supreme Court weighed in on a high-profile issue regarding transgender athletes in women’s sports and women’s sports on January 13, 2026. (Oliver Contreras/AFP)

Madison Kenyan

Kenyan, a former Idaho State women’s cross country and track runner, is a volunteer defendant in the Little v. Hecox case and decided to join the case after having to compete against a trans athlete during her freshman year in 2019.

“It filled me with excitement and hope for future generations. We should never question a state’s right to protect women’s athletics. I’m glad to see so many people standing up and supporting something so simple and true.”

mary kate marshall

Marshall, a Kenyan teammate at Idaho State who has played against trans athletes alongside Kenyans, participated in the incident along with his teammates.

“It’s always sad to see people fall for the lie that men can be women too. No amount of hormones can do that. I wish more people could understand biological reality as it is: true and unchanging.”

Laney Armistead

armistead A former captain of the West Virginia State University women’s soccer team, she intervened to defend West Virginia’s sports laws in BPJ v. West Virginia.

“It was a long journey to get to the Supreme Court, so it was very meaningful for me to watch the arguments in person. It was a great experience. I really hope the court protects women’s sports.”

Scotus’ internal affairs should be a turning point in the culture war over transgender athletes in women’s sports

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brook slusser

Former San Jose State University women’s volleyball star Brooke Slusser and her parents Paul and Kim Slusser. (Courtesy of Kim Slusser)

Slusser, a former women’s volleyball co-captain at San Jose State University, sued the NCAA, the Mountain West Conference and school representatives after discovering that her 2024 roommate was biologically male. Her story received significant media attention during the election season news cycle and prompted a federal investigation into the school.

Slusser said Tuesday’s events were “definitely surreal,” adding that she was looking forward to solving the case. “It’s tough for her not knowing what’s going to happen next and not having answers yet.”

Stephanie Turner

On January 13, 2026 in Washington, DC, US fencer Stephanie Turner, who refused to compete against transgender athletes in high school, speaks outside the US Supreme Court. Justices are hearing arguments challenging the state’s ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports. (Oliver Contreras/AFP)

Turner, a female fencer, became an overnight sensation in the Save Women’s Sports movement after a video went viral of her protesting by kneeling to a transgender opponent at a tournament last spring. She was disqualified from USA Fencing for refusing to compete against her opponent and has not competed in USA Fencing since.

“What was a little disappointing wasn’t that the Supreme Court justices didn’t take a very strong stance on language, but that they were capitulating to new-age terminology like cisgender.”

peyton mcnabb

Payton McNabb was seriously injured when he was hit in the head and neck with a spike from a man who identifies as transgender on the opposing volleyball team. (Courtesy of IW Features and Peyton McNab)

McNabb suffered permanent brain damage in 2022 when a transgender player spiked her in the head with a volleyball during a high school game in North Carolina. McNabb has since become one of the movement’s leading activists and was honored in President Donald Trump’s 2025 joint address to Congress.

“There was a time not too long ago when many women were afraid to speak up about this issue. Now, to see this issue being taken seriously at the highest level and people not being afraid to stand up for women and girls is incredibly powerful. It’s a reminder of how far this movement has come and why it’s so important to continue speaking out.”

“The most difficult thing was realizing that we have a sitting Supreme Court justice who can’t define what a woman is. To me, that takes away credibility. How can you serve on the highest court in this country without understanding basic biological realities? The fact that the definition of ‘woman’ extends to the Supreme Court, and we don’t know what it’s going to be, is astonishing and pathetic.”

caitlin wheeler

Wheeler is a former University of Kentucky swimmer who had to compete against transgender UPenn swimmer Leah Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Championships.

“What struck me most was that almost no one talked about the girls being affected. During oral arguments, there was constant talk about men and boys, and their feelings, their experiences, their access, and the girls on whom Title IX was literally written, were basically an afterthought. And that’s disgusting to me.”

“And there’s a movement to reduce women to a baseline of circulating testosterone, as if that’s all we are. As if femininity can be boiled down to lab results. That’s insulting. Women aren’t just levels of hormones. We’re complex. We’re different, and we deserve protection nonetheless.”

macy petty

Petty, a former women’s volleyball player at Lee University who had to play against transgender opponents in college, is now a legislative strategist for Women of Concern.

“Yesterday’s events proved that the movement to protect and promote opportunities for women in sports is more than just a short-lived reaction to madness; we have cemented ourselves as a legacy. One of the biggest takeaways for me was seeing the history we have built and continue to build.”

“Some of our participating athletes have been part of this movement for nearly a decade, and many of our thought leaders have been part of it for much longer than that. And yet, this coalition continues to grow, with new athletes stepping up every day.”

sophia laurie

Lowry, a former women’s soccer player at Baygard University and current outreach director for the California Family Council, is at the forefront of raising awareness of trans-athlete issues in women’s sports in California, one of the nation’s biggest hotbeds for incidents.

“I was disappointed that the hearings so often centered on men’s desires rather than the rights and safety of women and girls, the very people this debate is meant to protect. Justice Alito stood out for grounding his arguments in reality and for asking the most fundamental questions: what is a man and what is a woman?

“When ACLU lawyers admitted that we can’t even define what it means to be male or female, it exposed how divorced this entire argument is from reality. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s reference to gender as being ‘assigned at birth’ was particularly disturbing.

“While some justices have seemed willing to acknowledge women’s rights through language and abstraction, such as when Justice Amy Coney Barrett adopted terms like ‘transgirl,’ I believe that science, Title IX, and the Constitution are on the side of women and girls, and that the truth will ultimately prevail.”

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Kaylee Ray

Ray is a former Utah State women’s volleyball player who was part of the team that lost to San Jose State in 2024 to avoid playing against Slusser’s transgender teammates.

“I think it’s unfortunate that some of the liberal-leaning judges were so ideological in their questioning, as if they were looking for a rationalization or justification to allow this injustice to continue. I don’t think this should be a left-right issue. This is a women’s issue.”

“And the truth is simple: Men don’t belong in sports or spaces for women. It’s also disheartening to know that there are sitting judges who don’t know or can’t define what a woman is. Still, we hope the court will rule in favor of the ban.”

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