President Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.
The order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” was signed on Wednesday and directs federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, to enforce Title IX rules prohibiting transgender women from participating in female sports categories.
With this directive, Trump aims to establish a national standard on gender and sports policies, the order mandates immediate enforcement and instructs state attorneys general to develop best practices for implementing the policy.
“With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over,” Trump stated while announcing the decision.
The order is expected to have wide-reaching effects on sports organizations, particularly the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and other governing bodies, the White House expects these organizations to adjust their policies to align with the new federal directive.
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Charlie Baker, NCAA president, emphasized the significance of legal clarity, stating, “We’re a national governing body and we follow federal law. Clarity on this issue at the federal level would be very helpful.”
The move is part of a broader push by Trump to reverse policies that expand gender identity protections, over the past month, he has signed multiple orders targeting trans rights, including restrictions on gender-affirming healthcare.
This latest action follows Trump’s earlier orders aimed at rolling back transgender rights. On his first day back in office, he directed federal agencies to define sex as “only male or female” based on biological characteristics.
Last week, Trump signed another order banning gender transitions for individuals under 19, prohibiting puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and gender-affirming surgeries.
Additionally, he repealed Biden-era policies on gender identity by ordering federal agencies to remove what he termed “radical gender ideology” from all government policies and documents.
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Trump’s policies have already begun to affect the transgender community. Some hospitals in the U.S. have halted gender-affirming care for transgender youth, leaving many without necessary medical support.
Prisons have also started isolating transgender women, warning them of potential transfers to men’s facilities due to the rollback of gender-affirming treatments. Advocacy groups have condemned the measures, calling them “an aggressive attack on transgender rights.”
