Federal judge upholds West Virginia 'Save Women's Sports' law barring trans athletes from girls' sports teams

A federal judge in West Virginia on Thursday ruled that a state law defining biological "girls" and "women" for the purpose of school athletics was constitutional.

"I have no doubt that H.B. 3293 aimed to politicize participation in school athletics for transgender students," Goodwin wrote. "Nevertheless, there is not a sufficient record of legislative animus. Considering the law under the intermediate scrutiny standard, I find that it is substantially related to an important government interest."  Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to chris.pandolfo@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.

The law, introduced in March 2021, is one of several recent attempts by Republican-controlled state legislatures to bar transgender student athletes from competing against members of the opposite sex. Critics say such efforts are hateful, discriminatory and even harmful towards transgender youth. Supporters counter that male and female biological differences make physical competition between transgender athletes and girls unfair and can deny women opportunities.