Trans stars react after the court upheld two states’ laws barring trans women from female sports: “After they destroy us, they will come after you,” Sasha Colby tells EW.

7 Drag Race stars blast ‘f---ed up’ Supreme Court ruling on trans athletes: ‘People need to wake up’ (exclusive)

Trans stars react after the court upheld two states' laws barring trans women from female sports: "After they destroy us, they will come after you," Sasha Colby tells EW.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul’s Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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on July 1, 2026 2:07 p.m. ET

'Drag Race' winner Sasha Colby; Supreme Court; Aja. Credit:

Sarah Morris/Getty; Kevin Carter/Getty; Santiago Felipe/Getty

- Sasha Colby, Aja, Kerri Colby, Eureka, Lexi Love, Amanda Tori Meating, and Honey Mahogany exclusively react to ** after the Supreme Court's decision to upheld two states' anti-trans laws.

- The *Drag Race* stars condemned the move that bans trans athletes from women's sports.

- "Girl, this is f---ed up," Amanda tells EW.

After the Supreme Court upheld Tuesday two states' anti-trans laws barring transgender athletes from women's sports, seven queens from the *RuPaul's Drag Race** *franchise exclusively react to ** over the "f---ed up" judicial move that fell on the final day of LGBTQ Pride month.

The conservative-majority court ruled that laws in Idaho and West Virginia don't violate the United States Constitution, with the justices unanimously agreeing that "barring transgender girls and women also doesn’t run afoul of the federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education," according to the Associated Press.

"This decision is heartbreaking for many in our community," *Drag Race* season 15 winner Sasha Colby tells EW. "As a trans woman, I know how important it is to feel seen, valued, and accepted for who you are. Every young person deserves the chance to grow, dream, and participate without fear of being made to feel like they don’t belong."

Sasha, who rose to prominence as an esteemed Miss Continental pageant winner and spoke at Kamala Harris' White House Pride event in 2023, adds that she hopes "we continue to choose compassion over fear, understanding over division, and never lose sight of each other’s humanity" amid decisions like this.

'Drag Race' season 17 star Lexi Love.

Amy Sussman/Getty

"After they destroy us, they will come after you. We’re all in this together," she finishes.

Fresh from her Werk Room return on last year's *All Stars 10*, season 9 alum and New York City ballroom staple Aja says she's most concerned about what the ruling represents for the current state of not only American politics, but also media literacy.

"Over the last five years of my transition, I’ve realized that so much of the anti-trans rhetoric begins online. Misinformation spreads through social media until it starts influencing real-world policy, and eventually decisions like this. That’s why I believe it’s so important to challenge misinformation before it becomes accepted as fact," Aja explains to EW.

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Aja, who will perform at her facial feminization surgery and recovery fundraiser in New York on July 26, speculates that decisions such as the court's "seem rooted in exclusion rather than thoughtful discussion" — the latter of which she says might lead to the discovery of facts that refute reasoning for banning trans women and girls from women's sports in the first place.

"Hormone therapy dramatically changes the body over time, affecting muscle mass, strength, endurance, fat distribution, and countless other physiological factors," says Aja, pointing to perceived fears that trans women and girls might have a physical advantage over other women in sports.

Aja's reasoning is supported by scientific research, including — but not limited to — the Trans Health Research organization at the University of Melbourne, where doctors found that fat mass increases by around 30 percent and muscle mass decreases by around 5 percent in trans women over their first year in hormone therapy.

The same study also found that "After 2 years of [hormone therapy], trans women show little to no advantage over cis women in tests like running 1.5 miles or number of sit-ups," and "by 1–3 years on [hormones], many performance differences in studied metrics narrow substantially or disappear," despite some "small residual advantage" in strength tests.

"The idea that a trans woman who has been on hormone therapy for years is physically identical to a cisgender man simply isn’t an accurate reflection of the science," Aja says. "At the same time, I understand that people have genuine concerns about fairness in competitive sports. That’s exactly why these conversations deserve evidence-based policies, not fear-driven narratives or blanket assumptions."

But, on more than just a physical level, season 17 finalist Lexi Love calls the decision an emotional one, and finds it "incredibly sad" that similar rulings have continued under the Donald Trump administration.

'Drag Race' season 16 star Amanda Tori Meating.

Santiago Felipe/Getty

However disappointing they might be, "it shouldn't be surprising," says Lexi, who hosts a monthly drag party in Cincinnati that she's looking to expand across the Midwest soon. "People need to wake up, because we can't stay in our own bubbles and ignore what's happening in the real world" outside of safe spaces the community creates.

Honey Mahogany — a season 5 contestant who later became heavily involved in advocacy and California politics and currently serves as the director of San Francisco's Office of Transgender Initiatives — also tells EW the ruling "was not unexpected," but still called it "deeply disappointing" to watch.

"However, I am grateful that it appears to be limited in its scope. Here in California, trans people still have protections, and trans youth will be able to continue playing in sports that align with their gender identity," she confirms.

Kerri Colby, *All Stars 10 *contestant and Sasha's drag daughter, refers to the act of telling trans kids "no" as "not a sustainable solution" for progress. "Everyone deserves the right to play and practice and learn the disciplines and teamwork of sports," she says. "I think so much time is wasted on destroying the inevitable versus collaborating to find a solution when it comes to politics, this is no exception. Let the children play, what would you rather them do? Sell crack? I think not!"

Kerri Colby at the 'Drag Race' season 14 finale. Denise Truscello/Getty Images

Aja calls an increase in anti-trans discourse and legislation to the contrary a symptom of a "cultural panic," despite trans people factually occupying "a very small percentage of the population" that such divisive political moves paint as a threat.

"Every policy that excludes trans people sends a message about who belongs and who doesn’t. As a Black trans woman, I already navigate the world with an awareness of my safety. Seeing rulings like this makes me wonder whether discrimination against people like me is becoming more socially acceptable. That’s a heavy feeling to carry," Aja explains, expressing that she hopes the conversation can move away from one "driven by fear" and toward "compassion, evidence, and the understanding that trans people are human beings who deserve the same dignity and opportunity as everyone else."

Eureka on 'We're Here'. HBO

Eureka, a perennial *Drag Race* contestant across multiple seasons and star of the Emmy-winning HBO docuseries *We're Here *says she's concerned about the message the policies send, as they give "states broader authority to adopt and enforce these restrictions" on a bigger scale. "This decision reaches far beyond sports. It’s about whether transgender people are welcomed, respected, and given the same chance to participate in the world as everyone else. As a proud trans woman, I know how important it is to be seen for who you are, not reduced to a political debate. Remember, no court decision can change your worth."

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter***.**** Lexi agrees, explaining that, "Being trans isn't a choice or a trend; it's simply who we are. Right now, the T in LGBTQIA+ is under the microscope, but these attacks affect our entire community," she says. "More than ever, we need to support queer spaces, show up for our communities, educate ourselves and others, and most importantly, vote. The midterm elections this November are our biggest opportunity to push back. So make sure you are registered and go vote!"

But perhaps season 16 contestant Amanda Tori Meating sums up the collective frustration with a swift summation of how the community feels, after decades of fighting for the right to exist: "Girl, this is f---ed up."

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