US President, Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports. The order threatens schools with the loss of federal funding if they do not comply.
The order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” was signed on National Girls and Women in Sports Day. It fulfils a key campaign promise to address concerns over transgender athletes.
The order instructs the Education Department to revise its interpretation of Title IX, a 1972 law that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded schools. Schools that fail to comply risk losing federal grants.
“From now on, women’s sports will be only for women,” Trump declared in the White House’s East Room. He also urged the State Department to lobby the International Olympic Committee to adopt similar rules based on sex, not gender identity or testosterone levels.
Candice Jackson, Deputy General Counsel at the Education Department, expressed support, pledging to “prioritise Title IX enforcement” and protect female athletes from “competing against and sharing private spaces with someone of the opposite sex.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt cited a poll showing 67% of Democrats oppose transgender athletes in women’s sports, claiming the order has widespread public backing.
However, several states and legal groups have vowed to challenge the decision. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong warned, “Trump is going to do this again and again,” urging resistance.
The change could lead athletic bodies like the NCAA to update their policies. NCAA President Charlie Baker, who had called for clearer guidelines, welcomed the order as a “clear, national standard.”
Civil rights groups condemned the move. Karla Gonzales Garcia from Amnesty International warned it could lead to invasive testing of athletes.
More than 20 states already ban transgender athletes from school sports. A similar bill to make the ban nationwide passed the House in January but faces an uncertain future in the Senate.
Conservative groups praised the order. Representative Nancy Mace said it “restores fairness” for female athletes. Critics argue it fuels stigma against transgender individuals and spreads misinformation.
Trump’s gender-related policies have faced legal challenges. Earlier this week, a judge temporarily blocked another executive order affecting transgender women’s housing in federal prisons.
