A bevy of left-wing celebrities have launched an ad campaign in support of transgender athletes as the Supreme Court considers state laws in Idaho and West Virginia barring biological males from female sports.
The American Civil Liberties Union described “More Than A Game” as a “national public awareness campaign in support of transgender youth and their families and rejecting political efforts to divide women and girls.
Those featured in the 30-second release video include retired women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe and her girlfriend Sue Bird, a 20-year WNBA player; Elliot Page, the performer who transitioned from female to male in 2020; WNBA player Brianna Turner; and actress Naomi Watts, who has a male-to-female transgender child.
Also appearing in the ad campaign is Becky Pepper-Jackson. The teenager, a biological male who competes in girls’ high school track, is the plaintiff in West Virginia v. B.P.J., one of two cases slated for oral argument Tuesday before the Supreme Court.
Pepper-Jackson, who takes puberty blockers, finished third in the state last year as a freshman in the girls’ discus and eighth in the girls’ shot put.
“This week the Supreme Court is set to consider a case that will have major implications for women’s sports, civil rights and the future of our country,” Rapinoe, a two-time World Cup winner, said in a statement.
“I am not going to be tricked into sacrificing hard fought civil rights protections because of anti-trans rhetoric. All women will be harmed if the Court rules against the young trans people at the center of these cases and I wanted to make unambiguously clear that I am on the side of equality and justice,” she said.
Freedom is More Than a Game | More Than a Game | ACLU https://t.co/FsaCRDgDjA via @YouTube
— BirdRapinoe1015 (@BirdRapinoe1015) January 13, 2026
The 30-second ad is scheduled to air during the Unrivaled women’s basketball league starting Monday and continue through the playoff games. Unrivaled is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded in 2023 by WNBA players Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.
The video shows the stars and athletes, dressed in sports-themed fashions created by designer Willy Chavarria, extolling the importance of allowing students to participate in sports based on gender identity as opposed to biological sex.
“Supporting trans youth isn’t just about sports,” says the ad. “It’s about freedom. On and off the field. It’s more than a game.”
Bird made the guilt-by-association argument against foes of biological males in female sports, many of whom are conservative – but not all.
Those on the left who support same-sex female sports include tennis great Martina Navratilova, “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, and the Women’s Liberation Front.
“The very same people attacking trans kids are working to undermine equal pay for women athletes, reproductive health care, and the promise of our civil rights laws,” said Bird, a 13-time WNBA All-Star.
“I joined this campaign because I know how much it means for kids to get to play sports but also because I believe in exposing the lie that women are protected when we turn against each other,” she said.
The ACLU-sponsored ad comes with female-identifying transgender athletes on the ropes as national and international sports organizations increasingly prohibit them from participating in the female category, citing concerns about fairness and safety.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral argument on Tuesday in the Idaho and West Virginia cases. Both laws have been blocked by federal courts pending the high court’s decision, which is expected in June or July.
Since 2020, 27 states have passed laws requiring scholastic athletes to compete based on sex at birth, while two states have approved regulations. The other 21 states and Washington, D.C., allow students to participate in athletics based on gender identity.
