Super Bowl champion coach, Olympians sign amicus brief supporting protection of female athletes in SCOTUS case

Super Bowl-winning head coach Barry Switzer and Olympians have signed an amicus brief in aid of the legal defense to save women's sports ahead of two upcoming Supreme Court cases over trans athletes The signees also include Olympic medalists including eight gold medalists Switzer women's tennis legend Martina Navratilova Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh-Jennings Summer Sanders Donna de Varona Nancy Hogshead Laura Wilkinson Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson Monique Lamoureux-Morando and Rhi Jeffrey and former NFL quarterback Steve Stenstrom are among the top sports figures who signed the brief The signees also include multiple female athletes who have had to compete against biological male trans athletes including fencer Stephanie Turner former NCAA volleyball competitor Macy Petty former University of Pennsylvania women's swimmer Monika Burzynska and U S Masters swimmers Wendy Enderle Cissy Cochran and Angie Griffin CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS COM The brief has a total of signatures which also includes the family members of athletes who signed The brief argues that state laws in Idaho and West Virginia that protect women's sports from trans athletes also protect women and girls from mental and physical harm By ruling in favor of West Virginia s and Idaho s laws this Court can reaffirm that women should not lose their equal opportunity to compete in sports on a level playing field By affirming the states right to stand with women and girls this Court can ensure that females basic right to be treated equally is still the legal norm in the United States the brief reads It is hard to express the pain humiliation frustration and shame women experience when they are forced to compete against males in sport It is populace shaming and suffering an exclusion from women s own category a place that uniquely belongs to them The shame does not disappear after competition is over It stays forever as a memory of sanctioned residents ridicule The psychological tangible and long-term harm suffered by females forced to compete against males is irreversible FORMER SJSU VOLLEYBALL STAR REVEALS SEVERE VITALITY ISSUE THAT STEMMED FROM TITLE IX CONFLICT WITH SCHOOLOn the other side congressional Democrats signed an amicus brief supporting the trans athlete plaintiffs in the two cases The coalition which includes nine senators and House members is led by Congressional Equality Caucus Co-Chair Rep Becca Balint D-Vt Democratic Women s Caucus Chair Rep Teresa Leger Fern ndez D-N M and Sen Mazie Hirono D-Hawaii The list of signees features prominent figures on the party's left wing including Reps Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez D-N Y and Ilhan Omar D-Minn The list also includes House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep Nancy Pelosi The list does not include noted moderate Sen John Fetterman D-Pa or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer D-N Y The Little vs Hecox and West Virginia vs BPJ cases were each initially legal wins that enabled biological males to work around their state's laws to compete against females But now that the cases will be heard by the Supreme Court a decision could have a wide-ranging impact on the legality of trans athletes in women's sports going forward The cases are set for oral arguments on Jan in Washington D C The Little vs Hecox lawsuit was initially filed by trans athlete Lindsay Hecox in when the athlete sought to join the women's cross-country band at Boise State and had the state's law to prevent trans athletes from competing in women's sports blocked Hecox was joined by an anonymous biological female candidate Jane Doe who was concerned about the prospective of being subjected to the sex dispute verification process The challenge was thriving when a federal judge blocked Idaho's state law A th U S Circuit Court of Appeals panel upheld an injunction blocking the state law in before the Supreme Court agreed in July to hear the episode Hecox then urged the court last month to drop the challenge claiming the athlete has therefore decided to permanently withdraw and refrain from playing any women s sports at BSU or in Idaho Hecox tried to have the event dismissed in September after the Supreme Court agreed in July to hear the affair but U S District Judge David Nye appointed by President Donald Trump in rejected Hecox's motion to dismiss the incident The West Virginia vs B P J lawsuit was brought against the state of West Virginia by trans athlete Becky Pepper-Jackson who was initially granted a preliminary injunction allowing the athlete to participate on the school's sports teams The th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law violated Title IX and the equal protection clause Now the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the state's appeal In a response brief the athlete's mother Heather Jackson argued West Virginia's law that prohibits transgender athletes from competing in women's sports violates Title IX However Title IX does not explicitly protect the right of biologically male transgender people to identify as women The Trump administration and West Virginia state executive do not interpret Title IX as protective of that right Follow Fox News Digital s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter