A strong majority of the American people agree that it is patently unfair to allow biological males to compete against female athletes in most sports, but many Democratic politicians and judges remain beholden to the small but vocal community of transgender rights activists who adamantly insist otherwise.

That disturbing reality was made clear again on Wednesday when the entirely Democrat-appointed Minnesota Supreme Court ruled unanimously that USA Powerlifting unlawfully discriminated against a transgender athlete on the basis of sexual orientation when it barred him from competing against female lifters, according to Fox News.

Needless to say, Minnesota Republicans were outraged by the absurd decision and vowed to address the matter legislatively in next year's session.

The Supreme Court's decision

In 2018, transgender lifter JayCee Cooper attempted to register in the women's division of a USA Powerlifting event but was denied entry because of the organization's physiology-based policy to keep biologically male and female lifters in separate categories.

Cooper sued in 2021, claiming illegal sex-based discrimination under Minnesota's Human Rights Act, and a district court judge agreed and ruled in favor of the plaintiff against the organization -- a decision that was later reversed by the state's appellate court.

On Wednesday, however, in a unanimous 35-page opinion, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that the organization did unlawfully discriminate against Cooper because "USA Powerlifting's policy at the time of the decision was to categorically exclude transgender women from competing in the women's division."

"Because USA Powerlifting’s facially discriminatory policy provides direct evidence of discriminatory motive, there is no genuine issue of material fact as to whether Cooper’s transgender status actually motivated USA Powerlifting’s decision to prohibit Cooper from competing," the majority asserted. "We therefore reverse the part of the court of appeals’ decision on this issue."

However, the justices did acknowledge the MHRA's "legitimate business purpose" exception -- which USA Powerlifting has repeatedly cited, given its commitment to providing a fair platform to all competitors -- but declined to make a determination and instead kicked the matter back down to the district court.

Partial win for both sides

The Independent reported that transgender rights groups cheered the Minnesota Supreme Court's ruling as a massive victory, particularly the Gender Justice organization, which represented Cooper in the litigation.

USA Powerlifting, on the other hand, observed that the ruling was a mixed decision and partial win for both sides, and could eventually turn into a total victory for them once the district court addressed the "legitimate business purpose" exception issue.

That would allow them to explain to a jury the inherent physiological advantages biological males have over females, and "why excluding a transgender woman from competing in the women’s division was for legitimate reasons, for maintaining fairness in athletics.

Republicans vow to change the law to protect women's sports

In reaction to the ruling, Minnesota's Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth said in an X post that she was "extremely disappointed" by the high court's decision and that GOP legislators "must fix the Minnesota law to protect girls' sports."

"For decades, women and girls fought tirelessly for the rights guaranteed under Title IX," Demuth said in a statement. "Sadly, those hard-won protections have increasingly come under attack, and today’s decision marks another setback in the fight to protect girls' sports."

"This issue is ultimately about safety and fairness, and Minnesotans overwhelmingly agree that their daughters and granddaughters should not be forced to compete against boys," she added. "House Republicans are ready to act in the first weeks of next year’s legislative session to make clear that girls’ sports are for girls."