President Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports, following through on one of his most vocal campaign promises. The order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” was signed today in a White House ceremony—coinciding with National Girls and Women in Sports Day, a timing choice critics argue was intentional.
The annual celebration, founded in 1987, is meant to recognize female athletes and push for greater opportunities in women’s sports. However, this year, the focus has been overshadowed by the political firestorm surrounding Trump’s order, which is expected to have sweeping consequences for transgender athletes across the country.
What the Executive Order Does
The executive order directs federal agencies to enforce Title IX—the law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs—under a strict biological definition of sex. Under this policy, only athletes assigned female at birth will be eligible to compete in women’s sports at schools and universities that receive federal funding.
The order also signals potential federal investigations into schools and sports organizations that allow transgender women to compete in female categories. According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the administration expects the NCAA and the U.S. Olympic Committee to comply with the new federal stance, though it remains unclear how that would be enforced.
The Science: Do Trans Women Have an Advantage?
Trump and his supporters argue that transgender women have an unfair advantage in women’s sports. But the actual research is more complicated than that.
A 2020 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that transgender women maintain certain physical advantages after a year of hormone therapy, particularly in areas like grip strength. However, the study also found that transgender women experienced significant declines in lung capacity, VO2 max (a key measure of endurance for runners), and jump height, which could impact performance in endurance-based or agility-driven sports.
Another 2017 review published in Sports Medicine concluded that there was “no direct or consistent research” proving trans women hold a universal athletic edge. While some physical characteristics, like height and bone structure, remain unchanged, other factors—like muscle mass, oxygen uptake, and power output—are significantly altered by hormone therapy.
A 2024 cross-sectional study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine provides nuanced insights into this issue. The study compared various performance metrics, including measures of strength, power, and aerobic capacity.
The findings revealed that transgender women had similar testosterone levels but exhibited higher absolute handgrip strength. Conversely, they demonstrated lower relative jump height and reduced aerobic capacity (VO₂ max). These results suggest that while transgender women may retain certain strength advantages, they may also experience disadvantages in other performance areas.
The study’s authors caution against blanket bans on transgender athletes, emphasizing the need for sport-specific research to inform policies. They argue that decisions should be based on comprehensive, sport-relevant data rather than generalized assumptions.
Ultimately, scientific research on this issue is still evolving, and experts argue that athletic ability is influenced by far more than just biological sex. Training, skill, and sport-specific demands all play major roles, making it difficult to apply a blanket rule to all transgender athletes across different sports.
What This Means for Athletes
For transgender athletes, the consequences are immediate and severe. Any trans woman currently competing in a federally funded sports program could be barred from future competition. The White House has also indicated that it may push to revoke funding from schools, events, or competitions that refuse to comply with the new regulations.
Beyond schools, Trump’s order also calls for scrutiny of visa applications from international transgender athletes. According to the White House, this means that if a transgender athlete seeks entry to the U.S. for a sporting event, their gender claim could be reviewed for fraud—a move that could impact international competitions, including the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Public Reaction: A Deep Divide
Public opinion on transgender athletes remains sharply split. A 2023 Gallup poll found that most Americans oppose allowing trans women to compete in women’s sports, but opponents of blanket bans say this policy is based more on politics than facts.
The Women’s Sports Foundation, which helped establish National Girls and Women in Sports Day, has opposed bans like this one, arguing that they “limit opportunities and harm the development of both cisgender and transgender girls and women.”
For many, this overshadowed what should have been a day to celebrate progress in women’s athletics. Instead, it became another battleground in the ongoing debate over gender and sports.
This executive order is just one piece of a broader push by the Trump administration to roll back transgender rights. Since returning to office, Trump has already signed orders that:
- Define gender strictly based on biological sex at birth, a move that could impact everything from government IDs to legal protections.
- Ban transgender individuals from serving in the military.
- Threaten federal funding for schools that teach “radical gender ideology.”
With legal challenges already in the works, the fight over transgender participation in sports is far from over. But for now, Trump’s order marks the most sweeping federal action yet on the issue, setting the stage for a long and contentious battle over gender and fairness in athletics.
