On February 5, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order that essentially bans transgendered females from competing in girls (youth and high school sports) and women’s sports (college and professional). In the executive order, the language states,
In recent years, many educational institutions and athletic associations have allowed men to compete in women’s sports. This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.
Moreover, under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 (Title IX), educational institutions receiving Federal funds cannot deny women an equal opportunity to participate in sports.
The executive order further states that the federal government will withhold federal funding to any institution that ignores the order and allows transgendered females to compete with female athletes.
Joe’s Perspective: Based on months of campaigning and promises made, this executive order should come as no surprise. This was one of the cultural issues that literally divided America and American voters. Trump and most Republicans thought that it was unfair to allow transgendered females to compete against girls. They felt this created an unfair playing field for girls and it also was a violation of Title IX, which was meant to ensure equal participation and protection of women’s sports.
The interesting part of this argument is that America is not as divided on this as you may think. According to the national polls, 79% of Americans agree with President Trump on this issue. However, it doesn’t mean that the President of the United States has the singular power to make this type of law. This will undoubtedly make its way through the courts, and Congress should probably vote on such a law. If for no other reason, the next president could reverse this executive order with a signature in four years. This type of back and forth would be confusing and troublesome for the individuals involved and for the schools who have to create all new policies. So, I am in favor of the courts and congress doing their job and making sure this is constitutional and legal.
Of course, this still doesn’t solve the issue of how schools and institutions handle transgendered athletes. As of now, it just sets a precedent on what we “can’t do.” Policy or law will have to be enacted for how and where transgendered athletes compete. Do we create a separate division? If so, do we have separate divisions for transgendered females and for transgendered males? Or, do we just create policy that says we all need to compete in the category in which we were born? We must figure out a system that is fair and ethical. It feels like we are on the right path here, but my perspective doesn’t make policy. Others in charge do that now.
Your Turn:
- Do you think the President of the United States should have the power to make such policy?
- Do you think the banning of transgendered female athletes from female sports is the right decision?
- If you were in Congress and you had to create a law on this issue, what would you propose? Why?
