Federal Funding to Be Halted for Schools Allowing Transgender Athletes
Pens Used for Signing Distributed to Female Athletes
Transgender Military Ban Implemented Last Week
In the United States, individuals who have transitioned from male to female will no longer be allowed to participate in women's sports competitions. On the 5th (local time), Yonhap News, citing foreign media such as CNN, reported that President Donald Trump signed an executive order on this matter at the White House in the presence of female athletes. After signing, President Trump distributed the pens used for signing to the female athletes, receiving cheers and applause.
President Donald Trump has ordered a ban on transgender women participating in women's sports competitions. On the 5th (local time), Yonhap News, citing CNN and other foreign media, reported that President Trump signed an executive order on this matter at the White House in the presence of female athletes. AFP·Yonhap News
This executive order primarily prohibits all federal funding to schools at all levels if they allow transgender individuals to participate in women's sports. This is one of President Trump's key campaign promises. President Trump argues that individuals who transition from male to female retain the physical attributes of males, making their participation in women's sports unfair.
Currently, 27 states in the U.S. completely ban transgender female students and women from participating in sports. In contrast, 14 states that advocate for transgender rights enforce policies mandating the inclusion of transgender women in women's sports. Among them, transgender female swimmer Lia Thomas sparked controversy when she won first place in the women's freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Swimming Championships, leading to backlash from female athletes. Standing 193 cm tall, Thomas ranked around 400th in men's competitions. She only underwent hormone replacement therapy and did not have genital removal surgery, thus competing in women's events while retaining male genitalia.
Earlier in the United States, Lia Thomas, a swimmer who transitioned from male to female, won first place in the women's freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Swimming Championships, sparking controversy and backlash from female athletes. Standing 193 cm tall, Thomas was ranked around 400th when competing in men's competitions. AP·Yonhap News
Regarding this measure, President Trump stated, "With the action I took today, every school receiving taxpayer funding will know that allowing males to participate in female sports teams or invade (female) locker rooms will be investigated as a 'Title IX' violation and will lose federal funding." He added, "Attacks on female athletes in public elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as nearly all U.S. universities, will effectively end."
The 'Title IX' mentioned by President Trump refers to a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in schools and other educational programs receiving federal funds. The previous Biden administration had implemented rules considering the prohibition of transgender students' participation in female sports teams as a violation of Title IX. President Trump further criticized, "In recent years, the radical left has launched a full-scale campaign to eliminate the very concept of biological sex and replace it with a militant transgender ideology."
Furthermore, referring to the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Summer Olympics, President Trump hinted at plans to prohibit the entry of transgender athletes. He said, "My administration will not stand by while men hit and assault female athletes," adding, "Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen is very effective at denying visa applications from male athletes pretending to be female athletes to enter the United States."
This executive order is expected to impact most universities and all educational institutions receiving federal funding, including K-12 schools. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which has 1,100 member universities, has already begun preparing for rapid rule changes, and transgender athletes are expected to be gradually excluded from women's sports teams at both college and K-12 levels. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has also passed a bill banning transgender girls and women from participating in women's sports competitions. However, if a filibuster occurs in the Senate, swift action remains uncertain.
Earlier, President Trump also signed an executive order to exclude transgender individuals from school sports and to expel them from the military. Some military personnel facing expulsion due to this order have filed emergency injunction requests to suspend the order's effect, which are currently under review. According to U.S. Department of Defense data, there are approximately 1.3 million active-duty military personnel. The government estimates that there are thousands of transgender service members, while transgender rights advocates claim the number reaches 15,000.
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