President Donald Trump is set to issue an executive order Wednesday aimed at prohibiting biological males from participating in women’s athletic competitions. The measure, focused on enforcing Title IX regulations established in 1972, seeks to maintain fair competition in women’s sports.
According to White House officials, the executive order will address what they describe as “dangerous and unfair” situations where biological males compete against females in educational and amateur sports settings. The initiative emphasizes protecting women’s rights, dignity, and opportunities for young female athletes.
Schools found violating these guidelines could face Department of Education investigations and potential loss of federal funding. The order references Denver East High School as an example, where officials are investigating the conversion of women’s restrooms into gender-neutral facilities.
The administration is collaborating with various sporting
organizations to develop protective measures for women’s athletics. They have called upon the National Collegiate Athletics Association to evaluate its current policies, noting that over 7,000 female college athletes have petitioned for the removal of male competitors from women’s sports.
The White House reports that in recent years, nearly 900 medals in women’s competitions were awarded to male participants, resulting in lost scholarship opportunities for female athletes. The administration cited several concerning incidents, including a 2022 case where a male volleyball player’s spike caused serious injuries to female athlete Payton McNabb, including concussion, vision problems, and partial paralysis.
This order marks a significant departure from the Biden
administration’s approach, which had issued a day-one executive order allowing participation in sports based on gender identity rather than biological sex. The Biden policy had interpreted the Supreme Court’s Bostock v. Clayton County ruling to extend Title VII protections to gender identity in sports settings.
The Trump administration maintains that their new guidelines don’t discriminate against transgender athletes, suggesting they can participate in coed programs or compete in male divisions. The order follows Trump’s earlier executive action establishing federal recognition of only two biological sexes, male and female.
State attorneys general will gather at the White House to discuss enforcement strategies for state-level laws. Educational institutions permitting biological males to compete in women’s sports may face legal challenges from female students claiming adverse effects.
The White House emphasized that the order aims to preserve Title IX’s original intent of creating equal athletic opportunities for women. Officials highlighted athletics’ positive impact on young women, including improved self-esteem and reduced rates of substance abuse, obesity, and teenage pregnancy.
The order addresses privacy and safety concerns, noting instances where sexual assault survivors have been required to share locker room facilities with male athletes. The administration plans to engage with the United Nations on these issues, citing UN findings supporting the necessity of single-sex spaces for women.
The move aligns with recent legislative action in Congress, where the House of Representatives passed similar legislation prohibiting male participation in women’s sports. Schools maintaining compliance with Title IX regulations must demonstrate commitment to preventing sex-based discrimination to continue receiving federal funding.
The White House official characterized the previous administration’s policies as effectively “erasing women’s sports and women’s spaces,” describing them as detrimental to female athletes who dedicate significant effort to excel in their respective sports only to face competition from biological males.