'It is definitely a big deal': WNC reacts to Supreme Court ruling on transgender athletes

Local reactions to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling allowing states to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports are falling hard on both sides of the debate. The issue has been hotly contested for years, and Tuesday's decision drew both celebration and disappointment across western North Carolina. "I feel almost like somebody who chooses to be out and visible for those kids who feel they can't be visible," said Marc Eden. Eden has lived as a transgender man for 40 years. He transitioned at age 21 and is now 61. He said he's concerned the ruling is part of a broader effort to strip away protections for transgender people. "The bigger picture shows me a society that's kind of being duped or driven into removing rights from trans individuals," Eden said. "It starts with the bathroom bill, and before you know it, it's illegal to be [transgender]," he added. SUPREME COURT RULES STATES CAN BAR TRANSGENDER ATHLETES FROM WOMEN'S SPORTS State Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) views the ruling differently, calling it a victory for female athletes rather than a political win. "I don't think it's a win for any political party. I think it's a win for the girls," Pless said. "It just puts to bed the fact that a lot of folks did not want to admit that we were capable of doing that by the Constitution, and now we've been able to protect them, and it's been upheld." North Carolina is one of 27 states that already prohibit transgender women from competing in girls' sports. Payton McNabb, a former high school volleyball player from Murphy who has said she suffered a permanent brain injury after competing against a transgender athlete, praised the decision in a statement Tuesday. She said the ruling recognizes that protecting women's sports "isn't exclusion but justice." BATHROOM POLICIES AT BUNCOMBE COUNTY SCHOOLS NOW UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION Others in the LGBTQ+ community worry about what the decision could mean for transgender youth. "In my personal opinion, it is definitely a big deal," said Indigo Lesser, a UNC Asheville graduate who identifies as nonbinary. "I do continually find it odd that for a population that's only 1% of the total population, there's such a focus on that group of people, and there's an even smaller percentage of transgender people in sports." The issue of transgender athletes has become a political flashpoint nationwide, with the Supreme Court's decision reinforcing states' authority to set policies governing participation in school sports. For Eden, the ruling represents more than athletics. "Part of kids and growth and development has to do with sporting events," he said. "By taking away the ability for these kids to access this, they're isolating them again. And now we're 20 steps back again."