She … "Women need not be guaranteed equal 'results,'" Judge Motz said, "but the Equal Protection Clause does require equal opportunity ... and that opportunity is being denied here." Ibid. IIIThecross-petitions in this suit … Virginia'sexclusion of women from … theeducational opportunities … Fourteenth Amendment? Second, if VMI's "unique" situation, id., at 1413-as Virginia's sole single-sex public institution of higher education-offends the Constitution's equal protection principle, whatis the rem…e note, once again, thecore … this Court's pathmarkingdecisions … Women, 458 U. S., at 724 (internal quotation marks omitted): Parties who seektodefend gender-based government action must demonstrate an … of official actiondenying … rights or opportunities based on … "our Nation has had a long and unfortunate history ofsex discrimination." Frontiero v. Richardson, … state, could withhold from women opportunities accorded men so long as any "basis in reason" could be conceived for the discrimination. See, e. g., Goesaert v. Cleary, 467 (1948) ...In 1971, for the first time inour Nation's … a woman who complained that her State haddenied … Since Reed, the Court has repeatedly recognized that neither federal nor state government acts compatibly with the equal protection principle when a law or official policy deniesto women, simply because they are women, full…ture—equal opportunity to aspire, achieve, participate in and contribute to society … concurring in judgment) (case law evolving since 1971 "reveals a strong presumption that gender classifications are invalid"). To summarize the Court's current directions for cases of official classification based on gender: Focusing on the differential treatment or denial of opportunity for which relief is sought, the reviewing court must determine whether the proffered justification is "exceedingly persuasive." The burden of justification is demanding and it rests entirely on the State. See Mississippi Univ. for Women, 458
