U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order prohibiting transgender women and girls from participating in female sports, a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from LGBTQ rights organizations. The order, signed on Wednesday, mandates that educational institutions allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports or use female locker rooms will lose federal funding.
“We won’t allow this to continue, and it ends today,” Trump stated while signing the order. “When I speak, we speak with authority, leaving no room for anyone to challenge us.”
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The executive order also pressures the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, urging them to enforce sex-specific participation rules. Trump added, “We want the IOC to change everything related to the Olympics regarding this ridiculous issue.”
The debate over transgender athletes in sports has been contentious in the U.S., despite a small number of athletes involved. NCAA President Charlie Baker testified in December that fewer than 10 transgender athletes compete among the 520,000 college athletes across the nation. Public opinion seems to be shifting, as a 2023 Gallup poll revealed that 69 percent of Americans support transgender athletes competing only in teams corresponding to their assigned sex at birth, a rise from 2021.
The issue gained further attention following incidents like that of college swimmer Lia Thomas, who won the NCAA Division I national championship in 2022 before being barred from women’s events by World Aquatics. The NCAA welcomed the executive order for establishing a “clear, national standard” on the issue, emphasizing the need for uniform eligibility criteria across states.
LGBTQ rights organizations have strongly condemned the move, calling it discriminatory and harmful to transgender youth. Athlete Ally, which advocates for LGBTQ inclusion in sports, expressed disappointment, stating that transgender youth would now be deprived of the joy of participating in sports as their true selves. GLAAD also criticized the order, declaring it “inaccurate and incoherent,” and asserting that all women and girls, including transgender individuals, should have the right to play sports and make decisions about their bodies.
Since taking office in January, Trump has signed four executive orders targeting transgender individuals, including one recognizing only two sexes, banning transgender people from serving in the military, and defunding gender transition treatments for individuals under 19.
