The order targets schools allowing transgender athletes in women’s teams, threatening to withdraw federal funds while calling for Olympic rule changes.
February 6, 2025: US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, escalating the ongoing culture war over transgender rights. Surrounded by dozens of children and female athletes at the White House, Trump declared the move as the end of what he termed the “war on women’s sports.”
“With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over,” Trump stated. He added, “We will defend the proud tradition of female athletes, and we will not allow men to beat up, injure, and cheat our women and our girls. From now on, women’s sports will be only for women.”
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The order grants government agencies the authority to revoke federal funding from schools that permit transgender athletes to join women’s teams. “It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which result in endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women,” the order stated.
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Trump also revealed plans to pressure the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to overhaul its policies on transgender athletes before the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. He instructed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to push the IOC for changes. Additionally, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was directed to deny visa applications from individuals attempting to participate in women’s sports under fraudulent gender identities.
This move follows a series of executive orders from Trump’s second term targeting transgender individuals, including banning transgender troops from the military and restricting gender transition procedures for individuals under 19.
The issue of transgender rights has become a focal point for Trump and the Republican Party, serving as a central theme in the 2024 election campaign. Trump frequently criticized Democrats for supporting transgender rights, framing the issue as a cultural battle.
Republican-led efforts to restrict transgender participation in sports gained momentum in January when the House of Representatives passed a bill to bar transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports. While transgender individuals make up a small fraction of the U.S. population, the debate around fairness in sports has energized conservative support.
Trump’s Wednesday order has further polarized an already contentious issue, with proponents hailing it as a victory for women’s rights and critics condemning it as discriminatory and harmful to transgender individuals.
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Donald Trump, transgender athletes, women’s sports, executive order, U.S. politics, LGBTQ rights, cultural debate, federal funding, Olympic Games, sports policy, gender equality, conservative politics, inclusion rights, transgender ban, U.S. government policy