SPECIAL REPORT
Winning the Battle Against Gender Ideology
For over a decade, Alliance Defending Freedom has been a leader in the effort to defeat the radical gender ideology that has infiltrated our society and, along the way, created countless victims, especially children and women.
ADF has been outspoken on the topic and continues to be active in the courtroom and in statehouses across the country. We stood up to the lies of gender ideology before it was part of the national conversation, and we will continue to represent those harmed while we work alongside victims and the growing alliance until victory is won.
Women and girls deserve fair and safe competition on the field and in private spaces that respect and uphold their dignity. Title IX was written to promote opportunity for women and girls—not to allow males to enter their private spaces and sports, as previous administrations have pushed.
Praise be to God, we’ve seen meaningful progress toward upholding biological reality and protecting women and girls. Most recently, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld laws in the states of Idaho and West Virginia protecting women’s sports.
But the fight against gender ideology is far from over. ADF is committed to seeing it through to the end. Simply put, we must ensure that our laws and culture reflect fundamental fairness and safety for all Americans.
Timeline of Key ADF Privacy & Women’s Sports Cases/Events
2026
June
In a sweeping victory for women and girls, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld West Virginia’s and Idaho’s women’s sports laws. The win for biological reality empowers states across the country to enact and enforce similar laws protecting female athletes.
ADF files a lawsuit on behalf of female wrestler Kallie Keelier, who wrestled an opponent she and her mother believed was a girl. The opponent was a male athlete and sexually assaulted Kallie during the match. Despite mandatory reporter laws, officials did not report the assault to law enforcement for nearly two months.
January
The U.S. Supreme Court heard both West Virginia v. BPJ and Little v. Hecox on whether to uphold West Virginia’s and Idaho’s state laws protecting women’s sports.
2025
July
U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear both West Virginia v. BPJ and Little v. Hecox on whether to uphold West Virginia’s and Idaho’s state laws protecting women’s sports. These are the first cases of their kind to reach the Court on its merits docket.
June
Nebraska passes women’s sports law, bringing the total to 27 state laws protecting female athletes.
Following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in United States of America v. Skrmetti that allows states to protect children from dangerous and experimental medical procedures, West Virginia and Idaho, alongside ADF attorneys, renew their request for the Court to hear their women’s sports cases.
April
Georgia passes protections for women’s sports and private spaces. Arkansas also joins more than 20 other states in passing a law to protect privacy for women and girls.
March
Five more states (ID, MT, SD, WV, WY) pass laws protecting privacy for women and girls. Alongside the Idaho attorney general, ADF wins victory as 9th Circuit allows Idaho law to go into effect, designating private spaces by sex in Idaho K-12 public schools and protecting the privacy, safety, and dignity of all students.
February
On the 39th annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day, President Trump issues executive order to protect women’s sports and locker rooms. ADF CEO, President, and General Counsel Kristen Waggoner attends White House ceremony.
ADF attorneys file a motion on behalf of Female Athletes United to intervene in a lawsuit to defend New Hampshire sports law and Trump executive orders that protect women’s sports.
January
In a significant victory for women and girls, a federal court rejects Biden administration’s rule trying to redefine ‘sex’ in Title IX and wipes away that rule nationwide.
On Day 1, the Trump administration issues executive order that begins to dismantle gender ideology’s impact on the federal government. The Department of Education follows up later in the month with a “Dear Colleague” letter explicitly rejecting the Biden administration’s unlawful attempt to change the meaning of “sex” in Title IX, citing ADF’s nationwide court victory earlier in the month.
2024
December
Four more states (LA, OH, SC, UT) pass laws protecting privacy for women and girls, and two states (NH, OH) pass women’s sports laws.
November
Federal district court allows case of four Connecticut female athletes, including Selina Soule, to continue. The case challenges a state athletic association policy that allows males to compete in women’s high school sports as a violation of Title IX.
October
The United Nations publicizes an August 2024 report revealing that female athletes have lost nearly 900 medal opportunities to male athletes. At a special UN event, ADF attorneys and client Lainey Armistead speak in favor of protecting women’s sports.
August
U.S. Supreme Court upholds temporary injunctions won by ADF, Tennessee, and Louisiana, putting pause on the Biden administration’s unlawful attempt to rewrite Title IX in the Plaintiff states.
July
Three more courts take action to halt the Biden administrative rule on Title IX. ADF attorneys go five-for-five in preventing the new Title IX rule from taking effect while these cases progress.
Additionally, the states of West Virginia and Idaho, with support from ADF attorneys, ask the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold their states’ laws protecting women’s sports after the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 4th and 9th Circuit, respectively, ruled against the states.
Meanwhile, New Hampshire becomes the 25th state to pass legislation protecting women’s sports.
June
Alongside Tennessee and Louisiana, ADF secures a pair of victories with two district courts putting a temporary hold on the Biden administration’s administrative rule attempting to rewrite Title IX. Meanwhile, the 6th Circuit in The State of Tennessee v. U.S. Department of Education affirms that Biden administration guidance documents unlawfully tried to make Title IX include “gender identity.”
May
ADF attorneys take action in four more cases alongside numerous states and student and parent groups, all challenging the Biden administration’s attempted Title IX rewrite. ADF clients include:
- Adaleia Cross, a West Virginia athlete
- An organization representing Christian teachers
- A Texas school district representing approximately 8,400 students
- Katie Rowland, a 13-year-old student
- Female Athletes United, an organization made up of female athletes devoted to protecting women’s sports
April
The Biden administration’s Department of Education issues a new administrative rule, attempting to rewrite Title IX and redefine the word “sex” to include “gender identity.” In one of the first of several legal actions, ADF attorneys immediately sue the administration on behalf of a Louisiana school district.
2023
December
Six more states (AR, FL, IA, ID, KY, ND) pass women’s privacy laws and five (KS, MO, NC, ND, WY) pass women’s sports laws in 2023.
November
A federal district court upholds Florida’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. ADF attorneys, representing a former female collegiate athlete, file a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Florida’s case.
June
ADF attorneys argue before a full 15-judge panel of the 2nd Circuit in Soule v. CAS that the case should be allowed to move forward. Also, ADF attorneys testify before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee about the harm caused to women and girls by allowing males into women’s sports.
April
ADF attorneys argue before the 6th Circuit in The State of Tennessee v. U.S. Department of Education, asking the court to affirm the district court’s injunction against the Biden administration’s reinterpretation of Title IX.
March
ADF attorneys bring first case over protection of women’s sports to U.S. Supreme Court. The Court leaves in place a temporary injunction preventing West Virginia from fully enforcing its women’s sports law while the case continued.
February
ADF attorneys brief congressional staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce on Title IX, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, and the current policy landscape of women’s sports.
January
The West Virginia district court grants summary judgment to ADF and its co-defendants in B.P.J. v. West Virginia State Board of Education, finding that West Virginia’s women’s sports law is constitutional and consistent with Title IX.
2022
December
The 2nd Circuit in Soule v. CAS affirms the district court’s dismissal, stating that the female athletes’ lost records and opportunities did not matter. This year, two more states (AL, OK) pass laws protecting women’s privacy, and nine states (AZ, IA, IN, KY, LA, OK, SC, SD, UT) join the effort to protect women’s sports by passing new laws.
July
Tennessee district court in The State of Tennessee v. U.S. Department of Education temporarily stops the Biden administration’s attempt to use guidance documents to reinterpret Title IX to include gender identity in 20 states.
June
ADF attorneys and clients celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Selina Soule is featured in The Daily Wire’s groundbreaking documentary “What Is a Woman?”
2021
December
Eight more states (AR, FL, MS, MT, WV, TN, AL, TX) pass women’s sports laws in 2021. ADF helped legislators in crafting many of these laws.
October
ADF files request to intervene (which is later granted) on behalf of the Association of Christian Schools International and three female athletes in The State of Tennessee v. U.S. Department of Education, a lawsuit brought by 20 states against Biden administration efforts to use guidance documents to reinterpret Title IX to allow males in women’s sports and private spaces.
September
ADF files request to intervene (which is granted three months later) on behalf of collegiate soccer player Lainey Armistead in B.P.J. v. West Virginia State Board of Education, an ACLU lawsuit against West Virginia’s women’s sports law.
June
Biden administration issues guidance documents, reinterpreting Title IX to include gender identity, requiring public schools to allow males in women’s sports, locker rooms, and other private spaces.
May
Tennessee passes law protecting privacy in school restrooms, locker rooms, and other private spaces.
April
West Virginia passes “Save Women’s Sports Act” to protect female athletes.
2020
May
ADF moves to intervene in Hecox v. Little on behalf of two female athletes (which the court grants three months later) in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU against Idaho’s new Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.
March
Idaho becomes the first state to pass ADF’s Save Women’s Sports legislation. By the end of 2024, 25 states will have enacted women’s sports laws, most of which are modeled on ADF’s language.
February
ADF files Soule v. Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) on behalf of Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell, and Alanna Smith — the first federal lawsuit in the nation brought under Title IX advocating to protect women’s sports from male athletes.
2019
June
ADF files a federal Title IX administrative complaint on behalf of Connecticut high school track athletes Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell, and Alanna Smith.
May
By declining to review Doe v. Boyertown Area School District, the U.S. Supreme Court does not weigh in on whether Pennsylvania schools can allow violation of students’ bodily privacy.
2018
July
ADF actively explores legal options to protect fairness in women’s sports.
January
A state court grants the request of an association of concerned students and parents, represented by ADF, to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU that threatened the privacy of thousands of Illinois students.
2017
March
Four students file a lawsuit against Boyertown Area School District, which violated the bodily privacy rights of students by exposing them, involuntarily, to members of the opposite sex within private facilities like locker rooms and restrooms.
February
Trump administration withdraws Obama-era directive that misrepresented Title IX and required public schools to allow males to access women’s private spaces.
2016
October
A federal district court’s ruling in State of Texas v. United States of America stops an Obama-era order from forcing public schools to allow boys into girls’ locker rooms, showers, and restrooms while the lawsuit of several states moves forward.
June
With help from ADF attorneys, Ohio school district sues the federal government for demanding that students have access to opposite-sex locker rooms. A similar case is filed in September in Minnesota.
May
ADF files two separate lawsuits in Illinois and North Carolina to stop an Obama administration effort to reinterpret Title IX to allow males to access women’s restrooms and locker rooms in public schools.
Texas and multiple other states file a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration’s directive to public schools that would force students of the opposite sex to share rooms on overnight school trips and undress in the same locker room.
2015
October
ADF sends letter to Illinois school district affirming its decision to respect student privacy rights. The letter provides a suggested policy that addresses any concerns about discrimination without opening restrooms and locker rooms to the opposite sex.
2014
April
Obama administration issues Q&A document, interpreting sex discrimination in Title IX to include “gender identity.”
May
ADF begins to send model policy to schools, protecting the privacy of female students.