INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — Two members of Indiana’s best political team said they don’t expect the Supreme Court’s transgender athlete ruling to factor heavily into elections this fall.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled state laws prohibiting transgender women and girls from participating on women’s and girls’ college and K-12 sports teams do not violate the Equal Protection Clause or Title IX.
Although the ruling did not directly address Indiana’s ban, legal experts and activists on both sides of the issue say the ruling all but eliminates any challenges to Indiana’s ban under federal law. Democratic strategist Brad Boswell said he agrees with that assessment but he doesn’t think candidates will run on the issue.
“It’s not that there are people that care about this a lot, and that’s not to diminish their passion. It’s a serious issue and people that are really impacted by it, it really means something to them,” he said. “I think the majority of voters, day and day out, this isn’t really high on the things that they wake up caring about, and so between now and election day I don’t think it’s something that many politicians are gonna want to pick up the mantle.”
IndyPolitics.org editor and former Republican Indianapolis mayoral candidate Abdul-Hakim Shabazz said he doubts there will be a push for a nationwide ban right away.
“People are concerned about the economy, they’re concerned about jobs, health care, bread-and-butter issues,” he said, “I mean this is one of those cultural issues that people on the far right and far left care about I think most people have other issues on their mind right now.”
Shabazz and Boswell also weighed in on the court’s ruling upholding birthright citizenship. Both said they believe the high court made the right decision.
Shabazz said President Donald Trump’s directive to discontinue birthright citizenship amounted to trying to change the Constitution by executive order, which he cannot do.
Boswell said the 14th Amendment clearly protects birthright citizenship. The 14th Amendment, which was ratified by the states in 1868, begins with the words, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
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