Trump Moves to Ban Transgender Athletes from Women’s Sports with New Executive Order

WASHINGTON, Feb 5 – President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order aimed at barring transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, escalating an already divisive national debate.

Titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” the order grants federal agencies broad authority to enforce Title IX based on biological sex at birth, a move the administration says is necessary to protect fairness in female athletics.

“With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over,” Trump declared during a signing ceremony at the White House, flanked by Republican lawmakers and former collegiate athletes, including swimmer Riley Gaines, a vocal advocate for banning transgender women from competing against cisgender female athletes.

The order empowers the Department of Education to penalize schools that allow transgender athletes to compete, potentially stripping them of federal funding. It also puts pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), with Trump directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to urge Olympic officials to ban transgender athletes from the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games. Additionally, the order authorizes Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to deny visas to transgender athletes attempting to enter the U.S. for competition.

The timing of the executive order, announced on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, underscores its political significance. The issue became a key talking point for Trump during his campaign, as polls indicated that a majority of voters believed transgender rights had been pushed “too far.”

The move has ignited immediate backlash from civil rights groups and LGBTQ+ advocates. Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women’s Law Center, dismissed the order as “a manufactured crisis” that unfairly targets transgender youth.

“Contrary to what the president wants you to believe, trans students do not pose threats to sports, schools, or this country,” Graves said in a statement.

Legal experts predict that the order will face challenges in court, with opponents arguing that it may exceed executive authority and violate federal anti-discrimination laws. The NCAA, which currently allows each sport’s governing body to set its own policies on transgender participation, is reviewing the order.

This latest action is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to roll back transgender rights. Since returning to office, Trump has sought to restrict gender-affirming healthcare, limit legal recognition of gender identity, and reinstate bans on transgender military service.

Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed this week by former teammates of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas accuses the NCAA of violating Title IX by allowing her to compete.

With legal battles looming, the executive order is set to become a key flashpoint in an already heated national debate—one that is unlikely to subside anytime soon.