As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to weigh in on whether states may bar male athletes who identify as “transgender” from competing in women’s sports, a Catholic sports ministry is urging the faithful to join in a novena beginning Jan. 5 to pray for the justices’ decision.
FIERCE, which supports female athletes and advocates for sex-based protections in women’s sports, is launching the novena, invoking the intercession Our Lady of Victory, ahead of the court’s review of two high-profile cases: Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments for the cases during its January session and make a decision by early summer.
In Little v. Hecox, Idaho is defending a 2020 law that bars males from competing in women’s sports at public schools and colleges. The law was blocked by lower courts after it was challenged by a ‘transgender’ athlete and civil-rights organizations.
West Virginia v. B.P.J. involves a middle school student who challenged that state’s 2021 sports law. A federal appeals court allowed the student to continue competing on a girls’ team while the case proceeded, which prompted the state to seek Supreme Court review.
State officials argue that separating sports by biological sex is necessary to preserve fairness, competitive balance and safety for female athletes. Opponents of the laws argue the restrictions violate the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause and Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education.
Participants in FIERCE’s novena will pray for a ruling that affirms the legality of state laws keeping women’s sports only open to true women. The ruling could set a nationwide precedent on whether keeping men in women’s athletic policies is permissible under federal law. The prayers also ask for wisdom for the justices, protection for female athletes, and cultural clarity about gender.
Founded as a ministry to female athletes, FIERCE describes its mission as helping women “thrive in their God-given identity” and promoting authentic femininity in sports. The organization has increasingly focused on opposing policies that allow men who identify as women to compete in women’s athletic categories.
“We support women’s sports being for women only,” FIERCE’s website states. “We will continue to pray, fast, and fight until truth is upheld across the world!”