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Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed H0500, the nation's first law barring transgender athletes from women's sports

On March 30, 2020, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 500, the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act," into law as the first law of its kind in the nation. The act requires K-12 and college athletic teams designated "female," "women's," or "girls'" to be limited to students whose sex assigned at birth is female, barring transgender girls and women from competing on those teams. It passed the Idaho House 52-17-1 and Senate 24-11-0 before being signed into law.

Jurisdiction
Idaho
Location
Boise, Idaho

Abuses documented

Actors

On March 30, 2020, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 500, the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act," into law as Session Law Chapter 333, effective July 1, 2020. The act requires K-12 and college athletic teams designated "female," "women's," or "girls'" to be limited to students whose sex assigned at birth is female, barring transgender girls and women from competing on those teams. It was the first law of its kind enacted in the nation, passing the Idaho House 52-17-1 with Rep. Barbara Ehardt as floor sponsor and the Senate as amended 24-11-0 with Sen. Souza as floor sponsor, before the House concurred 54-16-0 and the bill was transmitted to the governor.

The law was challenged in federal court as Hecox v. Little on behalf of transgender college athlete Lindsay Hecox.

Updates

2020-08-17 — Federal judge granted a preliminary injunction blocking the law [3]

U.S. District Judge David C. Nye granted a preliminary injunction in Hecox v. Little, finding the challengers likely to succeed on their Fourteenth Amendment claims and blocking Idaho from enforcing HB 500 while the case proceeded.

2023-08-17 — Ninth Circuit affirmed the injunction in a 2-1 ruling [4]

A three-judge Ninth Circuit panel affirmed the district court's injunction, holding the law's "sweeping prohibition" likely violated the Equal Protection Clause and was not substantially related to the state's asserted interest in athletic fairness.

2026-06-30 — Supreme Court upheld the law, ruling 6-3 in West Virginia v. B.P.J. [5]

The Supreme Court reversed course on the injunction, consolidating this case with a parallel challenge to West Virginia's law and ruling 6-3 that state bans on transgender athletes in women's and girls' sports do not violate the Equal Protection Clause, upholding both states' laws. This ruling is recorded separately as its own entry (federal-narrowing-civil-rights-protections-66c6e49a); noted here only as the resolution of this law's own litigation history.

Why we recorded this

Equal protection principles require that similarly situated people be treated alike regardless of protected characteristics such as sex or gender identity. Idaho's Fairness in Women's Sports Act, the first law of its kind in the nation, categorically bars transgender girls and women from competing on female-designated K-12 and college athletic teams based on sex assigned at birth. This archive records the first instance of a legislative pattern later adopted by dozens of states restricting transgender athletes from competition consistent with their gender identity.

Sources

  1. Idaho H0500 (2020) — Bill Status, History, and Signing Record — Idaho Legislature primary accessed July 19, 2026
  2. Idaho H0500 (2020) — Bill Status — LegiScan secondary accessed July 19, 2026
  3. Judge Blocks First Law Targeting Transgender Athletes as Case Continues — American Civil Liberties Union primary accessed July 19, 2026
  4. Appeals Court Blocks Idaho Ban on Transgender Youth Athletes — American Civil Liberties Union primary accessed July 19, 2026
  5. West Virginia v. B. P. J., No. 24-43 (June 30, 2026) — Supreme Court of the United States primary accessed July 19, 2026

See also