Trump Bans Transgender Athletes From Women’s Sports With Executive Order

In a bold move, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports, marking another step in his administration’s efforts to address gender identity issues since returning to office.

Trump declared, “Women’s sports will now be exclusively for women,” as he signed the order at the White House, flanked by young athletes and children.

“This executive action will end the attack on women’s sports,” Trump added.

Among the attendees were prominent Republican figures, including US House Speaker Mike Johnson and Congresswoman Marjorie Green, who voiced their support during the ceremony.

Trump emphasized, “We will stand firm in protecting the proud legacy of female athletes, ensuring that men will not dominate, harm, or cheat our women and girls,” drawing applause from the crowd.

The order stipulates that federal funds may be withheld from schools permitting transgender athletes to join women’s teams.

“If you allow men to infiltrate women’s teams or locker rooms, you will face an investigation and the potential loss of federal funding,” Trump stated.

Trump also expressed intentions to push the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to revise its policies on transgender athletes in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

He instructed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to communicate to the IOC that the US demands a shift in its stance regarding the inclusion of transgender athletes, labeling the issue “absurd.”

Additionally, Trump directed Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem to block visa applications from male athletes attempting to fraudulently gain entry to the US as women to participate in the Olympics.

Trump’s Cultural Agenda on Gender Identity

This action forms part of a series of moves by Trump, a Republican, aimed at challenging policies on gender identity. Early in his second term, Trump reasserted a binary gender framework, stating that US government policy would only recognize male and female genders, thus ending third-gender options in various contexts.

Shortly thereafter, he signed an order to remove transgender individuals from the military and limit gender transition procedures for minors under 19.

Despite transgender individuals comprising a small percentage of the US population, Trump has made these actions central to his cultural agenda, often using them as a platform in his political campaign.

Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump relentlessly criticized the Democrats on the issue of transgender rights, leveraging cultural wars surrounding the topic. One of his most notable lines, “Kamala Harris supports they/them; President Trump stands for you,” mocked Vice President Kamala Harris’s advocacy for transgender rights.

Trump’s executive order follows a Republican-backed bill in the House of Representatives passed in January, which imposes strict limits on transgender athletes’ participation in girls’ and women’s sports.

As transgender issues become more visible in American society, raising debates about gender fairness and sports equity, many conservatives have rallied around the protection of women’s sports.