President Trump Signs Executive Order Restricting Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday,  barring transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports, a move the administration framed as reinforcing Title IX protections by defining “sex” as gender assigned at birth. The order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” empowers federal agencies to enforce this interpretation across federally funded institutions, marking the latest in a series of policies affecting transgender rights under Trump’s tenure.

During a signing ceremony in the White House East Room, President Trump declared, “With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over,” flanked by lawmakers and female athletes, including former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, a vocal advocate for the policy. The order coincides with National Girls and Women in Sports Day and directs the Department of Education to penalize schools and athletic organizations that permit transgender girls and women to compete on teams aligning with their gender identity. Noncompliant institutions risk losing federal funding.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated the directive “honors the promise of Title IX” by ensuring “immediate enforcement actions” to preserve single-sex sports and locker rooms. The policy aligns with the Trump administration’s longstanding focus on gender-based eligibility, a theme amplified during the 2024 campaign. AP VoteCast data cited by the administration indicated broad public concern over transgender inclusion in sports, with over half of respondents asserting that support for transgender rights had “gone too far.”

The order also signals a broader stance on international sports policy. Ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, President Trump warned the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the U.S. “categorically rejects transgender lunacy,” tasking Secretary of State Marco Rubio with urging the IOC to revise its transgender participation guidelines.

Critics argue the policy undermines protections for transgender individuals, while supporters claim it safeguards fairness in women’s athletics. Enforcement now falls to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, whose acting director recently directed staff to prioritize investigations aligned with the administration’s objectives, according to anonymous sources cited by the Associated Press.

This executive action adds to over a dozen measures targeting transgender rights under Trump’s presidency, reflecting a deepening cultural and political divide as the 2024 election approaches.