Women need to be able to play the sport they want no matter the sex they were born as, but an executive order signed by President Trump will not allow transgender female athletes to play female sports, causing backlash from the transgender community.
“Under the Trump Administration, we will defend the proud tradition of female athletes and we will not allow men to beat up, injure, and cheat our women and girls from now on. From now on, women’s sports will be only for women,” Trump said regarding the executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
This directive goes against the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which outlines, “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.”
This issue specifically affects women, as there are currently no restrictions on the men’s category.
The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) website said, “Men’s category open to all eligible student-athletes, women’s category restricted to student-athletes assigned female at birth, schools directed to foster welcoming environments on all campuses.”
Schools cannot foster a welcoming environment when they are instructed to exclude certain athletes.
Multiple states, such as Alabama, Mississippi, South Dakota, West Virginia, Arkansas, Montana and Tennessee, have already passed a ban excluding transgender women from playing in women’s leagues.
Members of Utah’s legislature disagree with House Bill 11 (HB11), which passed in 2021, which prohibits all transgender girls from competing on a girls’ team in K-12 school sports.
When the ban was passed in Utah, there were four transgender student athletes in K-12 sports, and only one of them was a girl, according to Utah Governor Spencer James Cox.
“Four kids and only one of them playing girls’ sports. That’s what all of this is about. Four kids who aren’t dominating or winning trophies or taking scholarships. Four kids who are just trying to find some friends and feel like they are a part of something. Four kids trying to get through each day,” Cox said in a letter to the Senate and House explaining why he chose to veto HB11.
Most who are in favor of the ban on transgender women in female sports feel that because transgender women were born male it would make them biologically stronger, which could cause biological females to be at a disadvantage in their sport.
While this is an important factor, the number of transgender student athletes who are currently in K-12 sports is incredibly low.
With only four in the state of Utah in 2021, and low numbers in other states, allowing transgender athletes to play in the sport of their choosing will not cause the amount of damage that President Trump is portraying.
Rather than vilifying these individuals, there needs to be more education on transgender people and more support shown to policymakers who make efforts to give transgender athletes equal rights.