President Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning trans women from competing in women’s sports, saying he will deny visas for trans Olympic athletes trying to visit the US to compete at the LA Games in 2028.
The order, which goes into effect immediately, largely covers high school, universities and grassroots sports. The Department of Education will investigate high schools thought to be non-compliant.
Republicans say it restores fairness to sports, but LGBTQ+ rights organisations have described the move as discriminatory.
“If you let men take over women’s sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated for violations of Title IX and risk your federal funding,” Trump said.
President Trump specified that the order would include the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He has said he will deny visas for transgender Olympic athletes trying to visit the US to compete at the LA Games.
Ahead of signing the executive order, Trump declared that “the war on women’s sports is over”, saying that during the LA Games, “my administration will not stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes.”
In a statement, Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said that the order “exposes young people to harassment and discrimination, emboldening people to question the gender of kids who don’t fit a narrow view of how they’re supposed to dress or look”.
“For so many students, sports are about finding somewhere to belong,” Ms Robinson added. “Not partisan policies that make life harder for them.”
Less than 1% of the population over the age of 13 in the US are transgender, according to a study by the UCLA Williams Institute, and the number playing sports is smaller.
