President Trump Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at barring transgender women and girls from participating in female high school and college sports.
In his latest effort to roll back trans rights, Trump proclaimed the so-called No Men in Women’s Sports Executive Order that declares Title IX of the Civil Rights Act may no longer be used to protect transgender women from discrimination.
“From now on women’s sports will be only for women,” Trump declared, flanked by cheering female athletes. “The war on women’s sports is over.”
The order offers legal interpretations and authorizes the Department of Education to investigate high schools and colleges thought to violate the ban and potentially cut federal aid.
“We are putting every school on notice: If you let men take over sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated … and risk losing your federal funding,” Trump said. “There will be no federal funding.”
Trump plans to use the executive order to push for a ban on transgender women participating in Olympic events.
Trump was joined at the White House signing ceremony by two outspoken right wing opponents of transgender rights: former college swimmer Riley Gaines and former ESPN host Sage Steele.
The order conflicts with New York state laws and regulations that mandate access for transgender people, setting the stage for a possible court battle.
Neither the city nor state education officials responded to requests for comment.
But city Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos put out a conveniently timed Twitter thread about a Gender and Sexuality Alliance Summit, which took place over a week ago.
“We continue to empower, uplift, and celebrate our LGBTQ+ students and allies through education, creativity, and community,” she tweeted. “Together, we build a future where everyone can thrive. ”
A spokesperson for Attorney General Letitia James, who is fighting Trump’s effort to ban gender-affirming care for minors, said James wouldn’t comment until the order is issued.
Trump signed the order on National Girls & Women in Sports Day, which was started in 1987 as a way to celebrate female athletes and inspire girls to participate in sports.
Trump and his allies claim that permitting transgender women to compete in women’s and girl’s sports is unfair to their competitors and promotes leftist “gender ideology.”
LGBTQ advocates say it’s simply allowing people to participate in sports using the gender they identify as.
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,” said Kelley Robinson of the Human Rights Campaign, which backs LGBTQ rights.
Title IX is best known for its role in pursuing gender equity and inclusion in athletics and preventing sexual harassment on campuses.
But Trump aims to use it as a tool to keep transgender women off the playing fields.
It’s unclear how many people Trump’s order will actually affect. The number of transgender athletes competing in school and college sports is thought to be minuscule.
The order is just the latest in a rapid-fire series of orders issued by Trump to rollback transgender rights, a stance that polls say is backed by a majority of Americans.
Trump put out a sweeping order on his first day in office mandating that the federal government will recognize all people as either male or female, a status he said must match the gender they were assigned at birth. The gender must be reflected on official documents such as passports and in policies such as federal prison assignments.
He also banned transgender troops from serving in the military, ending a policy of inclusion promulgated by former President Biden. Last week, federal agencies ordered workers to remove their preferred pronouns from their email signatures.