State by State · Law protects girls’ sports in K-12 and colleges
Ohio's Save Women's Sports Act (2024) keeps girls' and women's teams in schools and colleges for females. Lawmakers passed it over the governor's veto, and the court cases over the wider bill have not blocked the sports part.
The law in Ohio
Law in force · Covers K-12 and colleges
Past attempts
- 2021: HB 61, Save Women’s Sports Act (134th GA), did not become law (Ohio legislature).
- 2023: HB 6 (135th GA), a stand-alone version, was reported from House committee May 10, 2023, but the provisions passed instead inside HB 68 (Ohio House).
- Dec 29, 2023: Gov. DeWine vetoed HB 68; veto overridden Jan 10 and Jan 24, 2024 (GMA).
The law in detail, with sources
The law
The “Save Women’s Sports Act,” part of HB 68 (135th General Assembly). Gov. DeWine vetoed it Dec 29, 2023. The House overrode the veto Jan 10, 2024 (65–28) and the Senate on Jan 24, 2024, and it took effect Apr 24, 2024 (Ohio legislature HB 68; Ohio House release; ABC/GMA). It is codified at R.C. 3313.5320 (schools) and R.C. 3345.562 (colleges).
Who it covers
Schools that play in interscholastic competition run by an athletic organization (R.C. 3313.5320), plus state universities and private colleges that belong to national athletic associations (R.C. 3345.562).
Notes
The law gives a right to sue to athletes who lose an opportunity, to athletes who face retaliation for reporting, and to schools punished by agencies or associations for keeping female teams. Suits must be filed within two years and can recover damages and attorney fees. It also bars agencies and athletic bodies from investigating schools that keep girls’ teams single-sex (R.C. 3313.5320). Court status: in Moe v. Yost, the trial court rejected a single-subject challenge to HB 68 in Aug 2024 (Bloomberg Law). The Tenth District Court of Appeals ruled against HB 68’s medical provisions on Mar 18, 2025. The Ohio Supreme Court stayed that ruling on Apr 29, 2025, so HB 68 stays in effect while the appeal goes on (ACLU case page). The appeal was argued Mar 24, 2026 and is undecided (ABC6). The live dispute is over the medical-care ban. We found no order ever blocking the sports provisions.
In the courts and statehouses
September 3, 2024 · U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Rule vacated; appeal dismissed
Amicus brief in Tennessee v. Cardona (2024 Title IX rule)
ICONS supported the states and intervenors who won a ruling blocking the 2024 federal Title IX rule, and asked the court to affirm.
“It is a misguided, objectifying, and patently discriminatory trope that girls are undeserving of protection until they reach an elite level in sport.” From the brief, p. 2
Outcome: The district court vacated the 2024 Title IX rule on Jan. 9, 2025, so the Sixth Circuit dismissed the government's appeal for lack of jurisdiction on March 18, 2025. Source
Athletes in ICONS-backed lawsuits
- Lily Mullens, swimming, from Ohio · Gaines v. NCAA