US President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order barring transgender women from competing in female sports categories, White House officials confirmed on Wednesday.
The order, expected to take effect immediately, will authorize the Department of Education to investigate schools that fail to comply with the directive, focusing on high schools, universities, and grassroots sports.
Republicans argue the move safeguards fairness in women’s sports, while LGBT advocacy groups and human rights organizations have condemned it as discriminatory.
Several major sporting bodies, including World Athletics and elite golf tours, have already implemented similar bans on transgender women who have undergone male puberty. Trump’s order aims to align US sports policies with these restrictions.
A senior White House official stated that the administration would work to prevent transgender athletes from competing in International Olympic Committee events hosted in the US. Additionally, the White House plans to invite sports organizations, including the NCAA, to discuss concerns with female athletes and their parents.
The Biden administration previously took a different stance, affirming that LGBT students are protected under federal law, though without specific guidance on transgender athletes. Trump’s order seeks to overturn that position.
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson criticized the move, warning it could fuel discrimination and harassment against transgender youth. “For so many students, sports are about belonging, not partisan policies that make life harder for them,” Robinson said.
A UCLA Williams Institute study estimates that less than 1% of the US population over 13 is transgender, with an even smaller percentage participating in sports.
On his first day in office, Trump signed another executive order defining sex as strictly male or female, further cementing his administration’s stance on gender identity policies.
