Ep. 299: SCOTUS Trans Sports Ruling, HRC Report, Shevrin Jones & Scott Wiener | Listen Up Girl

Today's episode of Listen Up Girl leads with breaking news: the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 today that Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause do not prevent states from banning transgender girls and women from school sports teams. Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored the majority opinion in the combined West Virginia and Idaho cases, concluding that Title IX permits states to separate teams by biological sex. The ruling directly upholds bans in those two states but is expected to extend to roughly 25 others with similar laws, while liberal justices dissented sharply on the constitutional question. The episode then shifts to the HRC Foundation's Pride in the Marketplace 2026 report, showing LGBTQ+ consumers — representing $1.4 trillion in spending power — actively rewarding inclusive brands and pulling back from ones seen as retreating. Zach covers two history-making congressional campaigns: Florida's Shevrin Jones, seeking to become the state's first openly gay member of Congress, and San Francisco's Scott Wiener, who advanced to a runoff to succeed Nancy Pelosi and vowed to "go to the mat" for trans rights. The episode also covers a same-day federal hearing on class-action certification in the lawsuit challenging the transgender military ban, an international update on Dutch PM Rob Jetten's upcoming wedding, and the release of the Heartstopper Forever trailer ahead of its July 17 premiere. Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman https://www.listenupgirl.com/ Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/therealzachre/ Podcast music: https://dillonderosa.com/ Thank you Dillion!!! GayBFF: the app where making LGBTQ+ friends is finally as easy as swiping — no dating pressure, just your people. https://gaybff.app/ https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gaybff-make-real-friends/id6795699619 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.