President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” on Feb. 5. The order aims to restrict participation in women’s sports to individuals assigned female at birth.
The order mandates educational institutions receiving federal funding must ensure that women’s sports teams are exclusively composed of biological females. Non-compliance could result in the withdrawal of federal funds.
The executive order directs the Secretary of Education to enforce Title IX provisions by taking appropriate actions to protect female athletic opportunities and facilities. This includes prioritizing enforcement against institutions allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports or access women’s locker rooms.
Additionally, the order instructs the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to review and adjust policies regarding the admission of individuals seeking to participate in women’s sports. The aim is to prevent males from competing in women’s sports within the U.S.
This executive action aligns with President Trump’s previous directives, including the Jan. 20, 2025, order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which defines sex as a binary concept determined at conception.
The administration’s stated rationale for these measures is to uphold fairness, safety and the integrity of women’s sports by ensuring that participation is based on biological sex. The order emphasizes the importance of providing equal athletic opportunities for women and girls, as intended under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972.
Critics argue that such policies discriminate against transgender athletes and may violate civil rights protections. Advocacy groups have expressed concerns that these actions could lead to increased marginalization of transgender individuals in sports and other areas of society.
The executive order represents a significant policy shift in the administration’s approach to gender identity and sports participation, with potential implications for educational institutions, athletic organizations and transgender athletes nationwide.
Read the full executive order here.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham III at 317-762-7846. Follow him on TikTok @3Noral. For more news, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
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