NCAA’s Controversial Decision: Transgender Women Forbidden From Competing in Women’s Sports After Trump Executive Order | Breaking News | The Harvard Crimson

The NCAA recently updated its policy on transgender athletes. Starting now, transgender women are not allowed to compete on women’s sports teams. This change came right after an executive order from President Trump aimed at similar restrictions.

This new policy affects all of Harvard’s 42 Division 1 teams, which follow NCAA rules. Previously, transgender female athletes needed to meet certain criteria to compete, but now they are completely banned from women’s sports, even if they are undergoing hormone therapy.

Trump’s executive order aimed to protect what he described as fair opportunities in women’s sports. Shortly after he signed the order, Harvard removed its Transgender Inclusion Policy from its athletics website. The university now directs all questions about transgender athlete policies to the NCAA website.

While transgender women can no longer compete in women’s sports, they are still allowed to practice with their teams and enjoy other benefits as student-athletes. NCAA President Charlie D. Baker emphasized the need for a national standard to clarify eligibility for student-athletes, avoiding confusion caused by varying laws across states.

Under the NCAA’s updated regulations, trans men receiving testosterone treatment must play on men’s teams. The policy also allows anyone, regardless of gender identity, to join men’s sports teams, clarifying earlier participation policies.

Harvard and the NCAA have faced criticism for their previous support of transgender athletes. Recently, three former swimmers from the University of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against Harvard, Penn, the Ivy League, and the NCAA over concerns related to Title IX. They claim that allowing transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete in the 2022 Ivy League Championship violated this federal law.

Trump’s administration has made significant efforts to shift Title IX regulations to limit the rights of transgender individuals. He has aimed to remove parental rights regarding the acceptance of different gender identities and has directed federal agencies to rollback policies that support gender inclusivity in education.