President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at banning the participation of trans athletes in women's and girls' sports. The order, titled 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports', gives authority to federal agencies, such as the Departments of Justice and Education, to ensure that entities receiving federal funds comply with Title IX, which defines 'sex' according to the gender assigned at birth, according to the Trump administration. At a signing ceremony, Trump declared: 'With this executive order, the war on women's sports is over.'
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the order 'upholds the promise of Title IX' and will require 'immediate actions, including enforcement actions, against schools and athletic associations' that deny single-sex sports and facilities to women. The issuance of the order coincided with National Girls and Women in Sports Day and is the most recent of a series of executive actions by Trump directed at trans individuals.
The order seeks clarity at a time when the participation of trans athletes has been a topic of debate, especially after two editions of the Olympics in which such participation was allowed. During his campaign, Trump found support in his promise to 'keep men out of women's sports' that transcended typical partisan boundaries, with more than half of voters surveyed by AP VoteCast expressing that support for trans rights had gone too far in government and society.
The order signed by Trump came a day after three former teammates of trans swimmer Lia Thomas filed a lawsuit, accusing the NCAA, the Ivy League, Harvard, and Thomas's own school, Penn, of conspiring to allow Thomas to compete in championships. Additionally, in an incident during the 2024 Paris Olympics, Algerian athlete Imae Khalif was mistakenly identified as a trans athlete by rivals and public figures. Despite having hyperandrogenism, a condition that elevates her testosterone levels, Khalif is not a trans person.
Trump's executive order empowers the Department of Education to penalize schools that allow trans athletes to compete, citing noncompliance with Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination. Furthermore, it requires private sports organizations to meet at the White House so that the president can hear the stories of affected female athletes. This action adds to the Trump administration's attempts to limit the rights of trans individuals, leading to legal challenges against several of these policies.
