Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports

On February 5, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which aims to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports in educational institutions receiving federal funding.

The order mandates that Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs, be interpreted to exclude transgender female athletes from women’s sports categories.

The executive order was signed during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, where Trump declared, “The war on women’s sports is over,” and emphasized that the policy of the administration is that there are only two sexes—male and female.

The order gives federal agencies wide latitude to ensure compliance with Title IX, aligning with the Trump administration’s view that “sex” refers to the gender assigned at birth.

The Department of Education will prioritize enforcement actions against educational institutions that deny female students an equal opportunity to participate in sports by requiring them to compete with or against males in women’s categories.

The order also directs state attorneys general to identify best practices for enforcing the mandate.

This executive order is likely to face legal challenges from transgender rights advocates and organizations such as the National Women’s Law Center and GLAAD, who argue that trans students do not pose threats to sports, schools, or the country and deserve equal opportunities.

The timing of the order coincided with National Girls and Women in Sports Day and is part of a series of executive actions from the Trump administration aimed at transgender people, including restricting their participation in the military and limiting access to gender-affirming care.

The NCAA, which oversees college sports in the United States, stated that the executive order provides a clear, national standard and that its board of governors is reviewing the mandate and will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in the coming days.

The executive order also affects U.S. visa policies for athletes who travel to the country to compete in the Olympics or other sporting events, with Trump directing the Department of Homeland Security to deny any and all visa applications made by men attempting to fraudulently enter the United States while identifying themselves as women athletes.

The order has been met with mixed reactions, with some lawmakers and female athletes supporting the ban, while others, including transgender rights advocates, have condemned it as discriminatory and harmful.