US President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order aimed at preventing transgender women from competing in female sports categories, according to White House officials.
The order, which will provide legal interpretations and regulations, tasks the Department of Education with investigating high schools suspected of non-compliance.
Supporters argue that the move restores fairness in sports, while LGBTQ+ advocacy and human rights organizations have condemned it as discriminatory.
Expected to cover high school, university, and grassroots sports, the order aligns with recent actions by sports governing bodies such as swimming, athletics, and golf, which have barred transgender women from female competitions if they underwent male puberty.
The executive order will reverse a previous position under the Biden administration that extended federal protection to LGBTQ+ students, without offering specific guidelines on transgender athletes.
The Department of Education will be empowered to oversee Title IX compliance, ensuring that federally funded education programs adhere to this new directive.
The White House also plans to engage bodies like the NCAA, inviting female athletes and their parents to discuss concerns over competition fairness and safety.
While White House officials claim the policy is widely supported, Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson criticized it for fostering harassment and discrimination, stating, “For so many students, sports are about finding somewhere to belong. Not partisan policies that make life harder for them.”
