Riley Gaines joined President Donald Trump and hundreds of other women in the White House’s East Room February 5 as he signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order. As the title suggests, the executive order effectively banned transgender women from competing in youth and collegiate level women’s sports.
Gaines, former Division 1 swimmer from the University of Kentucky, lost the fifth place trophy in a tie to University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who is transgender, in the 200-yard freestyle competition in 2022. Gaines is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association claiming the organization violated their Title IX rights by allowing Thomas to compete at the national championships in 2022. Since then, Gaines has campaigned to restrict transgender women from participating in women's sports.
This controversy over transgender women competing in sports has sparked significant debate across the political spectrum. While some like Gaines and her fellow plaintiffs argue their Title IX rights were violated, others point to data suggesting that transgender women make up an extremely small fraction of NCAA athletes.
The participation rate of transgender women in women’s sports is less than 0.002%. In a Senate Judiciary Meeting in December 2024, NCAA President Charlie Baker was asked how many athletes compete in NCAA schools, to which Baker responded “510,000.” Senator Dick Durban (D-IL) then asked Baker how many of those athletes are transgender, to which Baker responded, “Less than ten.”
The Trump administration highlighted the purpose of “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” to be in compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. Title IX states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Trump’s executive order interprets Title IX differently, stating that “educational institutions receiving Federal funds cannot deny women an equal opportunity to participate in sports.” The executive order also does not ban transgender men or boys from participating in men's sports, but only transgender women from women’s sports.
This executive order directly orders the Department of Education to investigate any schools that do not comply to be investigated and withdrawn from federal funding. The Department of Education Office of General Counsel also sent letters to the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations calling on them to “restore to female athletes the records, titles, awards and recognitions misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories.” This means all transgender athletes will have their accolades stripped and given to the runners-up of those respective competitions.
Although Trump does not have any legal authority over the International Olympic Committee, he has ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio to use “all appropriate and available measures” in hopes of having the IOC come up with a uniform transgender policy.
It seems there could be further support of policies regarding transgender athletes, as the current president of the IOC is retiring in June 2025, and one of the several candidates fulfilling this position is Sebastian Coe. Coe is currently the director of World Athletics and has shown support for Trump’s executive order on his X account, stating, “Preserving the integrity of competition in the female category is a fundamental principle of the sport of Athletics and as we know everything starts in schools. Establishing clear, unambiguous policies is a critical first step.”
The implications of this executive order extend far beyond sports, touching on issues of civil rights, identity and the balance between inclusion and competitive fairness. Supporters argue it safeguards opportunities for cisgender women and upholds the original intent of Title IX, ensuring that women’s sports remain protected from male-bodied athletes who may have physiological advantages. However, critics contend it weaponizes Title IX against a vulnerable minority, effectively legislating transgender women out of competitive sports based on limited data and political motivations.
As the 2024 election cycle progresses, the intersection of sports and transgender rights is poised to remain a contentious battleground. Future legal challenges to Trump’s order are inevitable, with potential ramifications for how gender and sex are defined in federal policy. This executive order may shape broader debates on LGBTQ+ rights, educational policy and the role of government in regulating athletic competition.
Ultimately, the policies enacted today will set a precedent for generations of athletes to come, determining the future landscape of inclusivity and fairness in sports.
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