Washington — President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday prohibiting transgender girls and women from competing on sports teams that reflect their gender identity, marking his latest attack on transgender rights.
“The war on women’s sports is over,” Mr. Trump declared at a White House event to commemorate the mandate.
The order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” requires that Title IX, the federal law that prohibits gender discrimination in schools, be interpreted as prohibiting transgender girls and women from participating in female sports. Those who do not comply risk losing any federal funding, Mr. Trump warned.
“We’re putting every school receiving taxpayer dollars on notice,” he told reporters.
A White House official who briefed reporters on the order before Mr. Trump signed it stated that transgender female athletes can compete on either co-ed or male teams. Republicans have claimed that transgender girls and female athletes have biological advantages that are unfair and dangerous for other girls and women.
“This is about preserving women’s sports for women, and that if you are not a woman, you should absolutely have opportunities in sports, but the burden should not always be on women to accommodate that,” the person who spoke said.
Mr. Trump stated that the guidance will also have an impact on visa policies for athletes traveling to the United States to compete in the Olympics or other sporting events. The Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, USA, in 2028.
Mr. Trump was surrounded by young female athletes when he signed the order.
The executive order is a follow-up to a Republican measure passed by the House last month. The bill passed 218-206, with two Democrats joining the Republican majority.
The House bill, dubbed the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” would amend Title IX to define “sex” as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”Schools that allow “a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls” may lose federal funding.
The bill has yet to see action in the Senate, where Republicans hold a majority and senators are preoccupied with confirming Mr. Trump’s Cabinet nominees. It’s also unclear whether the measure will get seven Democratic votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster.
Charlie Baker, president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, testified before Congress in December, calling for clarity on the issue. However, Baker stated that he was aware of “less than 10” transgender athletes among the NCAA’s more than 500,000 student athletes.
“We believe that’s consistent with federal policy,” Baker said in a heated debate with Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley over why transgender athletes were allowed to compete in women’s sports. “The clarity on this issue at the federal level would be very helpful.”
The NCAA said in a statement Wednesday that Mr. Trump’s executive order “provides a clear, national standard” and that its board of governors is reviewing the mandate and “will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in the coming days.”
“The Association will continue to promote welcoming environments on campuses for all student-athletes. “We are ready to assist schools as they seek ways to support any student-athletes affected by policy changes,” the NCAA stated.
The issue became a political lightning rod during the 2024 campaign, with Republicans spending tens of millions of dollars on ads promoting transgender rights in the weeks before the election.
In recent years, polling has revealed a lack of support for transgender athletes who compete on teams that match their gender identities. About half of states restrict transgender athletes’ participation.
Mr. Trump emphasized those sentiments on the campaign trail, frequently discussing “keeping men out of women’s sports.”
On his first day back in office, Mr. Trump issued an executive order stating that the federal government recognizes only two sexes: male and female, and that “these sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.” Another order seeks to restrict transgender people from serving in the military.
“The policy of this administration is that there are only two sexes: male and female. “Pretty simple,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Wednesday’s press briefing.
In a statement, GLAAD, which advocates for LGBTQ rights, slammed the administration’s actions, saying, “Anti-LGBTQ politicians with a record of abusing and silencing women and stripping their health care have zero credibility in any conversation about protecting women and girls.”
