Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday, effectively banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports, marking another significant step in his administration’s actions to roll back transgender rights. The order imposes stricter regulations on sports and gender policies, directing federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, to reinterpret the federal Title IX rules. These rules, which originally prohibited discrimination based on sex in federally funded educational programs, are now being redefined to exclude transgender girls and women from participating in any female sports categories.
The executive order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” mandates immediate enforcement across the country. In a statement, Trump declared that the “war on women’s sports is over,” linking the timing of the order to National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The order specifies that state attorneys general will be tasked with identifying best practices for enforcement. Schools or institutions that allow transgender women or girls to compete in female-designated sporting events could face the loss of federal funding.
Although the order is expected to have a limited impact on the overall number of athletes, as there are fewer than ten transgender athletes among the 520,000 athletes in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), it sends a strong signal about the administration’s stance on transgender participation in sports. Despite the relatively low number of affected athletes, the implications for the transgender community are significant, and the policy is expected to face legal challenges.
Athlete Ally, a non-profit advocacy group, responded to the executive order with a statement expressing deep concern for transgender youth. The group emphasized that transgender individuals will no longer be able to enjoy the benefits of participating in sports as their true selves, an experience that can have profound emotional and social impacts. The organization criticized the move as part of a broader trend of “simplistic solutions to complex issues,” which often lead to hostility and harm toward marginalized communities.
This executive order is just the latest in a series of actions taken by the Trump administration that target the rights of transgender individuals. On his first day in office, Trump signed an order calling for a federal definition of sex based only on male or female reproductive cells. This shift required a re-evaluation of sex categories on official documents, such as passports, and has raised concerns about further limiting the rights of transgender people. More recently, Trump signed an executive order prohibiting gender-affirming treatments, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapies, and surgical procedures, for individuals under the age of 19.
In addition to this, Trump has moved to dismantle policies put in place by the Biden administration that aimed to combat gender discrimination. Last month, he signed another order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which directs the removal of any government policies or guidance that promotes what the order refers to as “radical gender ideology.” These sweeping changes signal the administration’s continued efforts to redefine the federal government’s stance on gender.
The NCAA, which is the governing body for collegiate sports in the United States, has expressed concern over the ambiguity of federal regulations on transgender athletes. While the NCAA president, Charlie Baker, stated in December that clarity on this issue at the federal level would be beneficial, the organization also faces pressure to align its policies with the new executive order. As a national governing body, the NCAA is expected to follow federal law, which will likely lead to changes in the rules regarding transgender athletes’ eligibility for women’s sports.
The effects of these policies are already being felt across the country. Following earlier directives from the Trump administration, several hospitals have stopped providing healthcare services to transgender youth, particularly those seeking gender-affirming treatments. Similarly, transgender women in prisons have been told they will be transferred to men’s facilities after being denied access to gender-affirming medical care. These actions reflect the growing sense of insecurity among the transgender community, which is facing increasingly hostile rhetoric and policy decisions.
