US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday (February 5) to exclude transgender girls and women from female-designated sporting competitions and teams, a directive that Republicans say restores fairness but critics say tramples on the rights of a small minority of athletes.
The order directs the Department of Justice to ban transgender girls and women from participating in female school sports under Trump’s interpretation of Title IX, a law against sex discrimination in federally funded education programs, a White House official said in a briefing. The order will call for “immediate enforcement” in schools nationwide.
The official said the Department of Education would lead investigations into schools to ensure compliance, but that work could shift to other agencies if the department is dismantled, as Trump has pledged to do.
The debate over transgender inclusion in sports has often centered on fairness, with opponents saying that people who have gone through male puberty have physical advantages. Transgender activists say there is no evidence to show that transgender women have an unfair advantage.
