Donald Trump bans transgender women from female sport

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to exclude transgender girls and women from female-designated sporting competitions and teams.

Republicans say the directive restores fairness, while critics say it tramples on the rights of a small minority of athletes.

Trump’s order directs the Department of Justice to ban transgender girls and women from participating in female school sports.

It comes under Trump’s interpretation of Title IX, a law against sex discrimination in federally funded education programs, a White House official said in a briefing. The order calls for “immediate enforcement” in schools nationwide.

The official said the Department of Education would lead investigations into schools to ensure compliance, but that work could shift to other agencies if the department is dismantled, as Trump has pledged to do.

The debate over transgender inclusion in sports has often centred on fairness, with opponents saying people who have gone through male puberty have physical advantages.

Transgender activists say there is no evidence to show that transgender women have an unfair advantage.

The issue has become a rallying cry for Republicans in the United States, though trans athletes account for a very small proportion of athletes at collegiate and high school level.

The order reverses the Biden administration’s interpretation of Title IX that it protects transgender people from discrimination on the basis of sex, which was vacated by a federal judge in 2024.

The ban fulfils a pledge Trump made during the 2024 presidential campaign, when pro-Trump television advertisements criticised the handful of transgender women and girls who compete in female sports.

More than 20 states have passed laws that ban transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports, some of which have faced legal challenges.