EXCLUSIVE: Franklin Graham’s daughter calls women’s sports fight a ‘Genesis 1 issue’ at Supreme Court
Cissie Graham Lynch, a senior advisor at Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said the fight over women’s sports is rooted in biblical truth as the Supreme Court heard arguments in cases involving laws designed to protect female athletes.
Graham Lynch attended the Supreme Court arguments Tuesday in Washington, D.C., and spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital, saying the moment carries generational consequences for women and girls.
"This isn’t a political issue, this is a Genesis 1 issue," Graham Lynch said. "Regardless of what the Supreme Court decides, God’s Word is clear—men are men and women are women. And today, I’m grateful girls finally had their historic day in court to say just that."
The cases before the court center on how sex and gender are defined in law and whether states can restrict biological males from competing in women’s sports. Samaritan's Purse joined amicus briefs supporting the laws.
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The Supreme Court is hearing two cases involving state laws governing participation in women’s sports: Little v. Hecox, which challenges Idaho’s ban on biological males competing in women’s athletics; and West Virginia v. B.P.J., a case involving a transgender student athlete and West Virginia’s women’s sports law.
"I believe the winds of change are coming and people will realize this is not a good thing. It’s damaging. It’s heartbreaking," Graham Lynch said. "When you turn away from God’s design, it never ends well."
Graham Lynch pointed repeatedly to Scripture as the foundation of her position. "This comes down to the basic truth that God spoke into existence in Genesis 1:27," she said.
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"God’s Word tells us that He created us in His own image — male and female. God has defined gender. It’s not up for discussion or debate. He has hardwired our gender down to the cellular level. No matter how hard one may try, you just can’t change the coding of your DNA. It’s time to stop fighting against this and start celebrating the goodness of God’s plan for our lives."
She said the court proceedings were encouraging but emphasized the ruling is still months away.
"This was such an encouraging day in court, but this case won’t be decided for some time," Graham Lynch said. "So we need to continue to pray that the Supreme Court’s decision will reinforce God’s design to protect and honor women."
Graham Lynch said the issue is deeply personal for her as a mother. "I’m so thankful to live in a country where these things can be fought each and every day in court," she said. "As the mother of young daughters, I want our country to be a safe place for women. The decisions made in this court are going to affect my children. These are generational decisions that will affect millions of young girls for years to come."
She also urged Christians to speak out more forcefully. "I hope these cases help wake Christians up," Graham Lynch said. "Believers can’t stay on the sidelines anymore. I’m so proud of the girls who have stood up in these cases. But we need to do this together. Christians need to be bold. Now is the time for churches, organizations and ministries to step up and faithfully uphold the truth and the reality that our God-given biology matters."
Graham Lynch praised the athletes who helped bring the issue to court.
"The young girls at the center of these cases are an inspiration," she said. "They stood when the world sat. And I pray this will encourage us all to stand when evil comes knocking at our door."
Also present at the Supreme Court was Kate Anderson, senior counsel and director of the Center for Parental Rights at Alliance Defending Freedom, who echoed Graham Lynch’s concerns. "It’s a bigger issue than just the field; it’s all of the advantages of sports, but it’s also private spaces and all the other areas that women are being really erased by a culture that says that men are women and women are men," Anderson said.
Anderson said the arguments left supporters hopeful.
"I think everyone felt very hopeful. This is common sense," she said. "So we would hope that we could be hopeful about the Supreme Court recognizing that women are unique, and that we need protection in our sports and our private spaces, that we shouldn't have to share those with male athletes."
Anderson said she spent time outside the court with female athletes who helped bring the cases forward. "I got to be outside the court today with many of the female athletes who really started this," she said. "And just to see their courage and then their joy to be out there and see that their work years and years ago—many of them are in college or beyond now—when they were in high school and they took a stand, that now it’s having an impact."
She said the issue has gained momentum beyond partisan lines.
"For so many years, this issue felt like it flew under the radar," Anderson said. "And now it's really taking hold. And it's beautiful, too, to see that it's become an issue that's crossing political bounds."
A Supreme Court ruling is expected later this year. Graham Lynch said the conversation will continue on her upcoming "Fearless" podcast as she encourages faith leaders and families to remain engaged while the court considers its decision.