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The Hill
06-02-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
NCAA prohibits transgender athletes in women's sports
The NCAA announced on Thursday it would no longer allow transgender athletes to compete in women's sports and would limit participation to those assigned female at birth. The policy change, approved by the NCAA Board of Governors, comes one day after President Trump signed an executive order barring transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports. 'We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today's student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions,' NCAA President Charlie Baker, former Republican governor of Massachusetts, said in a statement Thursday. 'To that end, President Trump's order provides a clear, national standard,' he added. The NCAA policy change is effective immediately and applies universally in women's sports, regardless of eligibility under the previous policy. Transgender athletes are still eligible to participate in the men's category, under the updated policy. Previously, the NCAA policy said transgender participation in each sport depended on guidelines set by the sport's national or international governing body. Transgender inclusion in women's sports has become a political lightning rod, dividing the nation and playing an increasingly central role in political campaigns. Trump's executive order this week fulfilled a long-standing campaign promise that rallied much of his base ahead of the election. Baker told a Senate panel that there are fewer than 10 transgender athletes he is aware of who currently compete in college sports, accounting for less than .002 percent of NCAA athletes nationwide. The NCAA includes 1,100 colleges and universities, accounting for more than 530,000 student-athletes, Baker said. At least one NCAA official resigned following the announcement on Thursday. Jack Turban said on social media that he was resign from the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS). 'Unfortunately, your recent decision to issue a blanket ban on trans female participation in women's sports does not align with [medical] or scientific consensus,' Turban wrote in a letter to Baker. 'I cannot in good conscience participate in this kind of politicization of science and medicine at the expense of some of our most vulnerable student-athletes.' Turban told The Hill that he and other committee members were not given advance notice of the Board of Governors' vote before the public announcement.
Fox News
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
NCAA officially bans trans athletes from women's sports 1 day after Trump signs executive order
The NCAA has officially changed its gender eligibility policies to ban all biological males from women's sports one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to address the issue. The governing body of college sports announced on Thursday afternoon its new participation policy for transgender student-athletes. "A student-athlete assigned male at birth may not compete on a women's team," the new policy reads. The previous policy, which had been in place in 2010, allowed biological males to compete in the women's category after undergoing at least one year of testosterone suppression treatment. Trump signed the "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D..C., in front of female athletes on National Girls & Women in Sports Day on Wednesday. NCAA President Charlie Baker responded to the executive order in a statement later on Wednesday, saying it provided a "clear, national standard," and that the NCAA Board of Governors would review it and take steps to align the organization's policy in the coming days. "The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes," the statement said. "We strongly believe that clear, consistent and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today's student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump's order provides a clear, national standard. "The NCAA Board of Governors is reviewing the executive order and will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in the coming days, subject to further guidance from the administration. The Association will continue to help foster welcoming environments on campuses for all student-athletes. We stand ready to assist schools as they look for ways to support any student-athletes affected by changes in the policy." Baker previously addressed concerns over the issue of female athletes having to share teams and locker rooms with trans athletes during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in December. There, Baker insisted that female athletes have the option to find other accommodations if they're uncomfortable sharing with transgenders and that the NCAA's policies that allow trans athletes to compete against women are based on federal standards. The previous policy has resulted in multiple lawsuits against the NCAA and its member schools. Former NCAA swimmer and current conservative activist Riley Gaines is currently leading a lawsuit over her experience of having to compete with and share a locker room with trans swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 national championships. She is joined by several other women athletes who have also been affected by trans inclusion. Another lawsuit was filed Tuesday evening, when three of Thomas' former UPenn teammates came forward with their own experiences of having to share a team and locker room with Thomas and were allegedly gaslit by their university administrators and fed pro-trans ideology. A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports. Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump executive order on protecting women's sports draws response from NCAA
The NCAA responded to President Donald Trump's executive order to keep biological men out of women's sports Wednesday night. Trump signed the "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order in the East Room of the White House in front of female athletes on National Girls & Women in Sports Day. NCAA President Charlie Baker responded to the executive order in a statement, saying it provided a "clear, national standard." Baker said the NCAA Board of Governors would review it and take steps to align the organization's policy in the coming days. "The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes," the statement said. "We strongly believe that clear, consistent and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today's student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump's order provides a clear, national standard. "The NCAA Board of Governors is reviewing the executive order and will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in the coming days, subject to further guidance from the administration. The Association will continue to help foster welcoming environments on campuses for all student-athletes. We stand ready to assist schools as they look for ways to support any student-athletes affected by changes in the policy." Trump was joined by Independent Women ambassadors Riley Gaines, Payton McNabb, Paula Scanlan, Sia Liilii, Lauren Miller, Kim Russell, Kaitlynn Wheeler, Linnea Saltz and Lily Mullens. "This doesn't have to be long. It's all about common sense," Trump said before signing the order, adding that "women's sports will be only for women. The war on women's sports is over." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing before Trump signed the executive order that it "upholds the promise of Title IX." Leavitt said Trump expected the NCAA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to comply. "He does expect the Olympic committee and the NCAA to no longer allow men to compete in women's sports," she said. "I think the president, with the signing of his pen, starts a very public pressure campaign on these organizations to do the right thing for women and for girls. "Again, this is an incredibly popular position. There have been many notable female athletes who have had the courage to speak out against some very powerful institutions in this country. They deserve to have a voice and a say. The president is bringing their voice to the highest level of the White House. He expects these organizations to comply with this federal executive order he will be signing today." Felicia Martin, vice president of the NCAA's Eligibility Center, spoke at a congressional briefing in Washington Wednesday to celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day and suggested the NCAA Board of Governors is already discussing potential policy changes once Trump's executive order goes into effect. "We know that this is an issue and a national conversation happening around participation," she said. "The Board of Governors is right now having conversations about what potential next steps might be, but this is absolutely one of those issues that is ongoing. "But without a national standard that can be applied across the board, all of us are making decisions based on what we think is the best for student-athletes and opportunities." Martin added that she expects more clarity on a national standard later in the day from Trump. She also said the Board of Governors would make its decisions on any policy changes based on the specific details of the executive order. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
NCAA VP suggests changes are coming to trans athlete policy after Trump's executive order is signed
With President Donald Trump set to sign an executive order banning trans athletes from girls' and women's sports on Wednesday, the NCAA is already bracing for a potential change to its current rules that allow trans athletes to compete with women. Vice president of the NCAA's Eligibility Center, Felicia Martin, spoke at a congressional briefing in Washington on Wednesday to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day and suggested that the NCAA Board of Governors is already discussing potential policy changes after Trump's executive order goes into effect. "We know that this is an issue and a national conversation happening around participation," she said. "The Board of Governors is right now having conversations about what potential next steps night be, but this is absolutely one of those issues that is ongoing, but without a national standard that can be applied across the board, all of us are making decisions based on what we think is the best for student athletes and opportunities." Martin added that she expects more clarity on a national standard later in the day from Trump. She also said that the Board of Governors would make its decisions on any policy changes based on the specific details of the executive order. In addition to Trump's executive order, the NCAA may get even more clarity on an incoming federal standard if the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act passes through Congress. The bill, which would ban federal funding for any institution that allows trans athletes in girls' and women's sports, has already made it through the House of Representatives. The NCAA has had a policy in place to allow trans athletes to compete against women dating back to 2010. The 2010 NCAA Policy on Transgender Student-Athlete Participation states that biologically male athletes are allowed to compete in the women's category after undergoing at least one year of testosterone suppression treatment. This policy has resulted in multiple lawsuits against the NCAA and its member schools. Former NCAA swimmer and current conservative activist Riley Gaines is currently leading a lawsuit over her experience of having to compete with and share a locker room with trans swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 national championships. She is joined by several other women athletes who have also been affected by trans inclusion. Another lawsuit was filed Tuesday evening, when three of Thomas' former UPenn teammates came forward with their own experiences of having to share a team and locker room with Thomas and were allegedly gaslit by their university administrators and fed pro-trans ideology. NCAA President Charlie Baker addressed concerns over the issue of female athletes having to share teams and locker rooms with trans athletes during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in December. There, Baker insisted that female athletes have the option to find other accommodations if they're uncomfortable sharing with transgenders. "Everybody else should have an opportunity to use other facilities if they wish to do so," Baker said. Baker also says that the NCAA's policies that allow trans athletes to compete against women are based on federal standards. Baker has also attempted to downplay the scale of the issue. Baker addressed the issue again during an interview on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" days after the hearing. When McAfee asked Baker how the parents of daughters should feel about trans athletes in women's sports and the NCAA's record on it, Baker said, "There are 510,000 college athletes playing in the NCAA, there are less than 10 transgender athletes, so it's a small community to begin with." However, despite that statistic, the issue has become a national debate over the last year, with several other instances of it happening at the youth and high school level, prompting national outrage. A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports. Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women. The issue is even believed to have affected the outcome of the 2024 election. Shortly after November's election, a national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of "Donald Trump's opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls' and women's sports and of transgender boys and men using girls' and women's bathrooms" as important to them. And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
