President Donald Trump is scheduled to sign an executive order on Wednesday that will prohibit male participation in women’s athletics.
One of the most popular rallying factors for Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign was his commitment.
Former President Trump consistently expressed criticism towards Democratic candidate Kamala Harris regarding her dedication to transgender rights, and the Republican Party adeptly leveraged this issue to garner support from voters.
A significant number of college students and their parents have expressed concerns regarding the potential loss of opportunities for women resulting from the participation of biological males in women’s athletics.
Furthermore, as indicated by a United Nations report from the preceding year, biological males have secured approximately 900 medals in women’s sports.
As of March 30, 2024, research indicates that over 600 female athletes across more than 400 competitions have forfeited in excess of 890 medals in 29 distinct sports.
“Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem stated that the substitution of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has led to a growing number of female athletes forfeiting opportunities, including medals, when competing against male counterparts.”
One of the strategies employed by the Biden administration to enhance protections for LGBTQ+ students involved the expansion of Title IX, a 1972 statute that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational settings, to also encompass prohibitions against discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
Republicans assert that the expansion served as a pretext to allow transgender student-athletes to participate on women’s teams. The White House asserted that athletics are exempt from the provisions of the new Title IX legislation.
Nevertheless, the Biden amendment was annulled by a federal magistrate last month following a legal challenge initiated by several states.
When Trump began leveraging the issue to criticise Harris, who was defeated in the 2024 presidential election, Biden postponed his intentions to establish a new regulation specifically addressing transgender participation in sports.
Since acquiring office, President Trump has promulgated a multitude of executive orders concerning gender identity.
On his inaugural day in office, he issued an executive order stipulating that the federal government will recognise exclusively the male and female sexes.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has prohibited the acceptance of passport applications that utilise a gender-neutral designation, such as “X,” in accordance with that directive.
To facilitate the option for nonbinary, intersex, or gender nonconforming individuals to select an X designation in lieu of male or female, President Biden amended the passport application procedure.
Furthermore, Trump has mandated the cessation of any initiatives that promote “gender ideology” and has abolished federal programs focused on diversity, gender, and equality.
Furthermore, he issued a directive requiring federal employees to remove their pronouns from their email signatures.
Furthermore, the President promulgated an executive order that imposed restrictions on gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of 19.
He implored the Secretary of Health and Human Services to “implement all necessary measures to terminate the chemical and surgical mutilation of children” and asserted that federal funding for such procedures would be discontinued.
The ruling pertains to surgical interventions, as well as pharmacological treatments such as oestrogen, testosterone, and puberty blockers.
It is expected that numerous directives issued by Trump will encounter legal challenges.
The future of women’s athletics has become a focal point of heightened controversy and discourse in recent years, particularly following swimmer Lia Thomas’s historic achievement as the first transgender athlete to secure an NCAA Division I championship in 2022.
The 39th Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day will take place on Wednesday.
