Critics of the move argued that the policy unjustly focused on students who merely wished to take part in regular high school activities.
President Donald Trump will issue an executive action prohibiting transgender female athletes from competing in women’s sports, igniting a legal and political conflict over a matter that has become contentious in the 2024 presidential election.
A White House official stated that Trump will complete the measure, which permits the Department of Education to investigate schools and potentially withhold their federal funding, at an event on Wednesday.
The administration will seek to reverse regulations implemented during former President Joe Biden’s tenure that interpreted Title IX provisions as providing protection for transgender students. Moreover, the Trump administration is cautioning that athletes entering the country on visas that indicate a sex different from their sex assigned at birth may be subject to fraud investigations.
Independently, the US State Department will request that the International Olympic Committee implement measures to maintain single-sex sports, according to a White House fact sheet regarding the action.
During his campaign, Trump pledged to reverse protections for transgender individuals and promised to prohibit them from participating in women’s sports. His campaign invested millions in emphasizing the issue through campaign advertisements and during rallies, where Trump frequently asserted that transgender athletes had an unfair advantage over their competitors.
Critics of the move argued that the policy unjustly focused on students who merely wished to take part in regular high school activities.
“Trans kids are frequently deprived of autonomy regarding their bodies, their lives, and their joy,” stated Angelica Christina, board director of The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, which provides support to LGBTQ nonprofits worldwide. “Therefore, it is insane to criminalize such a simple desire to engage in activities like playing sports.”
Last month, Trump issued an executive order declaring that it is “the official policy” of the US that only two sexes exist, male and female, and mandating agencies to adhere to these definitions when enforcing laws and regulations. The order requires agencies to use the term sex rather than gender and directs the secretaries of State, Homeland Security, and other agencies to ensure that official documents such as passports and visas reflect sex.
Nancy Mace, a Republican representative from South Carolina known for her strong criticism of transgender individuals using restrooms that correspond with their gender identity, declared Trump’s intentions regarding the order on Tuesday and stated she would accompany him to the White House for its signing.
In recent years, states governed by Republicans have enacted laws aimed at transgender health care, restricting discussions of gender in educational settings, and prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in sports that align with their gender identity. According to Trans Legislation Tracker, a research organization that monitors legislation affecting the community, 672 anti-trans bills were introduced nationwide in 2024, marking the fifth consecutive year of record-breaking numbers. Roughly 9% of those proposals pertained to sports.
Trump has pledged to implement a sweeping reform of education policy, which encompasses plans to eliminate federal funding for any school that promotes critical race theory and what conservatives deem as unsuitable racial, sexual, or political content for children.
The exact figure of transgender athletes currently participating in collegiate sports is uncertain because the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which oversees student athletics, does not monitor data on transgender participants.
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