Trump bans transgenders from competing in female sports

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order barring transgender girls and women from competing in female sports, a move supporters say promotes fairness but critics argue is discriminatory and infringes on athletes’ rights.

The order instructs the Department of Justice to enforce a ban on transgender participation in female school sports based on Trump’s interpretation of Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education.

“The war on women’s sports is over,” Trump declared at the signing ceremony, flanked by women and girls who support the measure. “My administration will not stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes.”

The order, which is expected to face legal challenges, mandates "immediate enforcement" nationwide and threatens to revoke federal funding from schools that allow transgender women or girls to compete in female sporting events.

While the policy would impact a small number of athletes, the president of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) testified before a Senate panel in December that fewer than 10 transgender athletes were among the 520,000 competing at 1,100 NCAA-affiliated schools.

However, the issue has resonated with voters, drawing loud applause at Trump’s rallies when he highlighted transgender athlete bans. His campaign also featured ads criticizing transgender women’s participation in female sports. Polls indicate that most Americans oppose transgender athletes competing in sports that align with their gender identity.

Further Restrictions on Transgender Rights

The order follows a series of other Trump directives curbing transgender rights, including:

• A ban on federal funding for gender-affirming healthcare for individuals under 19.
• A prohibition on transgender individuals serving in the military.

Both measures have faced legal pushback.

On January 20, his first day in office, Trump signed an order mandating that all government employees use "sex" rather than "gender" in official records, asserting that "sex is an immutable biological reality."

The debate over transgender participation in sports has largely revolved around fairness. Opponents argue that individuals who have undergone male puberty maintain physical advantages, while transgender rights activists contend there is insufficient evidence to support claims of an unfair competitive edge.

Trump’s order reverses the Biden administration’s stance that Title IX protections extend to transgender individuals, an interpretation that was blocked by a federal judge in 2024.

More than 20 states have enacted laws banning transgender girls from girls' sports, though some are facing legal challenges. The NCAA requires transgender women to meet testosterone limits on a sport-specific basis but does not track overall participation in school sports.

Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, denounced the order, stating: "For so many students, sports are about finding somewhere to belong. We should want that for all kids – not partisan policies that make life harder for them."

International Implications

The executive order also expands enforcement beyond US borders. It directs:

• The Department of Homeland Security to review visa applications for transgender women seeking to compete in female sports in the US. “If you claim to be a woman but are biologically male, we will review for fraud,” a White House official stated.
• The State Department to pressure the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to bar transgender athletes from competing. “We will use all our authority to ensure this policy applies to Olympic events on US soil,” the official added.

The US is set to host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, making this order potentially impactful on international sporting policies.