The White House has disclosed that US President, Donald Trump will sign an executive order to prevent transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports later today, February 5, 2025.
The order, titled “No Men in Women’s Sports”, will change how the administration interprets Title IX, a civil rights law that addresses sex discrimination at schools that receive federal funding, including in athletics.
The issue of transgender women participating in women’s sports was a consistent and divisive topic leading up to the November elections.
On the campaign trail and even after he won the election, Trump referred to trans women as men and pledged to “keep men out of women’s sports.”
After finding success in his presidential campaign by attacking transgender rights, Trump moved swiftly to roll back federal protections for the group after being sworn in
According to sources, the order will mandate immediate enforcement, including against schools and athletic associations that “deny women single-sex sports and single-sex locker rooms,” and will direct state Attorneys General to identify best practices for enforcing the mandate.
The White House expects sports bodies like the NCAA to change their rules in accordance with the order once it is signed, according to a senior administration official.
NCAA President Charlie Baker told Republican Senators at a hearing in December, “We’re a national governing body and we follow federal law.” “Clarity on this issue at the federal level would be very helpful,” Baker added.
A Gallup survey of U.S. adults conducted in May 2023 found that nearly 70% of respondents said trans athletes should only be allowed to compete on sports teams that correspond with their birth sex, up from 62% in 2021.
According to Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ think tank, twenty-seven states already have laws, regulations or policies in place banning transgender students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity.
Two outspoken opponents of transgender women in women’s spaces; Rep. Nancy Mace and former college swimmer Riley Gaines announced on social media that they would be at the signing. “No amount of activism, corporate pressure, or lies can erase reality—men are biologically different from women,” Mace wrote on X.
“This executive order restores fairness, upholds Title IX’s original intent, and defends the rights of female athletes who have worked their whole lives to compete at the highest levels.”
Nancy Mace
Gaines shared a photo on X of what appears to be an invitation to attend the signing and wrote, “Things could’ve been so different.”
“Gender insanity was the final straw that brought a lot of moderates to the side of common sense. Specifically, I believe it was the issue of men in women’s sports. I’ve been living in a state of gratitude everyday since Nov 5th. Praise God.”
Riley Gaines
Advocacy Group Warns Against Order
Ahead of the order being signed, LGTBQ advocacy group, the Human Rights Campaign warned that it could create a hostile environment for students nationwide.
The group’s President, Kelley Robinson said in a statement, “We all want sports to be fair, students to be safe, and young people to have the opportunity to participate alongside their peers.”
Robinson stated that “an attempted blanket ban deprives kids of those things.”
Robinson claimed that the order could expose young people to harassment and discrimination, emboldening people to question the “gender of kids who don’t fit a narrow view of how they’re supposed to dress or look.”
“And it comes at a time when the Trump Administration continues to distract and divide the country, handing the keys to the federal government to unelected billionaires and refusing to address urgent issues that the country is facing.
“Participating in sports is about learning the values of teamwork, dedication, and perseverance. And for so many students, sports are about finding somewhere to belong. We should want that for all kids – not partisan policies that make life harder for them.”
Kelley Robinson
READ ALSO: Music Videos Outlined as Crucial in Today’s Music Industry
