Trump executive order bans transgender athletes from women's sports
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People gather to defend transgender rights in New York City on Feb. 3. Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump again targeted transgender people in a Wednesday executive order barring transgender women and girls from competing in girls' and women's sports.
The big picture: The executive order denies federal funds for schools that allow trans women or girls to play in capacities corresponding with their gender identity, the latest in an onslaught against gender and diversity.
- Schools that don't abide by the order will be considered in violation of Title IX, which could jeopardize their access to federal funding.
- The order also calls for Secretary of State Marco Rubio to pressure the International Olympic Committee to create standards so that eligibility for women's sporting events is determined by sex rather than gender identity.
The latest: The NCAA announced Thursday that it's updating its participation policy for transgender student-athletes in light of Trump's executive order.
- The new policy, effective immediately, limits competition in women's sports to those assigned female at birth only, per the NCAA, which includes more than 530,000 student-athletes nationwide.
- Student-athletes assigned male at birth are allowed to practice with women's teams, the association noted.
State of play: Before the order was signed, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the White House would host women athletes to discuss their experiences with trans women in sports.
- LGBTQ media organization GLAAD said in a statement: "All women and girls, including transgender women and girls, should be welcome to play sports if they want, make decisions about their own bodies, be hired for jobs they are qualified for, and be free from lawless attacks by elected officials."
Context: Attacks on trans people were a major focus of Trump's recent presidential campaign.
- The GOP's official 2024 party platform vowed to "keep men out of women's sports," and Republican lawmakers have led similar national efforts.
- In addition to the executive orders, federal websites with information about trans health care have been shut down.
- The executive orders have targeted legal recognition of trans people, youth gender-affirming care and transgender service members in the military.
Zoom in: Advocacy organizations have launched legal challenges to these executive orders, arguing that they threaten human rights and are unconstitutional.
What they're saying: TransLash Media CEO Imara Jones said in a statement after Trump signed the order that it is not just about politics but "the ability of trans people — in this case, trans athletes — to exist and participate in society."
- "This is also an attempt to bend the education, America's last universal public good, to the will of an Administration built on centralized control," Jones added.
- "For those concerned about America's slide into authoritarianism - this is what it looks like, and this is just the beginning."
Go deeper:
- All of the anti-trans executive orders Trump has signed
- Trump admin lays out framework for order targeting transgender protections
Editor's note: This article has been updated with the NCAA's new policy.
