02/06/25 04:22:00
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02/06 16:19 CST NCAA changes transgender policy to limit women's competition to
athletes assigned female at birth
NCAA changes transgender policy to limit women's competition to athletes
assigned female at birth
By ERIC OLSON
AP Sports Writer
The NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes on Thursday,
limiting competition in women's sports to athletes who were assigned female at
birth.
The move came one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order
intended to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports. The order
gives federal agencies latitude to withhold federal funding from entities that
do not abide by Title IX in alignment with the Trump administration's view,
which interprets "sex" as the gender someone was assigned at birth.
The NCAA policy change is effective immediately and applies to all athletes
regardless of previous eligibility reviews. The NCAA has some 1,100 member
schools with more than 500,000 athletes, easily the largest governing body for
college athletics in the U.S.
"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 said. "To that
end, President Trump's order provides a clear, national standard."
The NCAA's decision was hailed by former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, a vocal
advocate of banning transgender athletes from women's sports. Gaines, who was
at the White House signing ceremony with Trump, was among more than a dozen
college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA last year, accusing it of
violating their Title IX rights by allowing transgender woman Lia Thomas to
compete at the national championships in 2022.
"I can't even begin to tell you how vindicating it feels knowing no girl will
ever have to experience what my teammates and I did," Gaines posted on X
shortly after the NCAA announced the policy change.
The previous NCAA policy went into effect in 2022 and adopted a sport-by-sport
approach, where transgender participation was determined by the policy of the
sport's national governing body. In sports with no national governing body,
that sport's international federation policy would be in place. If there is no
international federation policy, previously established IOC policy criteria
would take over.
Over the past year, however, transgender athletes have been targeted by critics
who say their participation in women's sports is unfair and a potential safety
risk. It became a major talking point in Trump's re-election campaign even
though there is believed to be a very small number of transgender athletes;
Baker last year said he knew of only 10 transgender athletes in the NCAA.
The NCAA's revised policy permits athletes assigned male at birth to practice
with women's teams and receive benefits such as medical care. It it not
uncommon, for example, for women's basketball teams to practice against fellow
students who are male.
Regardless of sex assigned at birth or gender identity, an athlete can practice
and compete with a men's team assuming they meet all other NCAA eligibility
requirements.
However, the NCAA said an athlete assigned female at birth who has begun
hormone therapy (testosterone, for example) can practice with a women's team
but cannot compete on a women's team without risking the team's eligibility for
championships.
Member schools remain responsible for certifying athlete eligibility for
practice and competition. The NCAA also said schools are subject to local,
state and federal legislation and such legislation supersedes NCAA rules.
The NCAA policy change was announced hours after the Trump administration said
it was investigating potential civil rights violations at two universities and
a high school sports league that allowed transgender athletes to compete on
women's teams. The Education Department said it had opened reviews of San Jose
State University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts
Interscholastic Athletic Association.
San Jose State's women's volleyball team drew headlines last season over
unconfirmed allegations that the roster included a transgender player. As for
Penn, three former teammates of Thomas, the transgender swimmer, this week sued
the NCAA, Ivy League, Harvard and the school over Thomas's participation at
conference and national championships, saying it violated Title IX provisions.
Sia Liilii, captain of the Nevada volleyball team that refused to play San Jose
State this season, said she was "ecstatic" about the new NCAA policy.
"Women have fought long and hard for equal athletic opportunities," Liilii
said. "By completely removing men from women's sports, we are moving back to
the true definition of Title (IX). Women are given an opportunity to champion
their own sports division and shine on a fair competition floor."
The NCAA also said its Board of Governors had directed staff to help all member
schools foster respectful and inclusive collegiate athletic cultures, noting it
has recently updated its mental health guidance.
"The updated policy combined with these resources follows through on the NCAA's
constitutional commitment to deliver intercollegiate athletics competition and
to protect, support and enhance the mental and physical health of
student-athletes," Baker said. "This national standard brings much needed
clarity as we modernize college sports for today's student-athletes."
The NCAA policy now mirrors that of the National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics, which governs sports at 241 mostly small colleges across the
country. Last April, the NAIA unanimously approved a policy allowing only
athletes whose sex assigned at birth is female and have not begun hormone
therapy to compete.
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