A recent Gallup poll indicates that an increasing majority of Americans believe transgender athletes should only compete on teams that align with their birth gender. The May 2023 survey found that 69% of Americans support this stance, reflecting a 7-point increase from 2021, when 62% held this view.
Conversely, support for allowing transgender athletes to compete based on their gender identity has declined from 34% in 2021 to 26% in 2023, marking an 8-point drop. The shift in public opinion comes amid heated national debates over fairness, inclusion, and the integrity of competitive sports.
Supporters of gender-based team policies argue that biological differences create unfair advantages, particularly in women’s sports. Opponents, however, emphasize the need for inclusivity and equal opportunities for transgender athletes. The data suggests a growing consensus among Americans in favor of policies that maintain gender-specific teams based on biological sex.
Trump Signs Executive Order Banning Transgender Women from Female Sports
Against this backdrop, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” The order bars transgender women and girls from participating in female sports at educational institutions and professional levels.
The new policy requires federally funded schools and colleges to align athletic participation strictly with biological sex assigned at birth or risk losing federal funding. The Department of Education has been directed to enforce these regulations while ensuring that female athletes retain access to equal opportunities and gender-segregated facilities like locker rooms.
Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security has been instructed to deny visas to individuals attempting to enter the U.S. under a gender identity that does not match their biological sex for athletic purposes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also been tasked with informing the International Olympic Committee that the U.S. opposes the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports on the global stage.
A Campaign Promise Fulfilled
President Trump’s executive order fulfills a key campaign promise to protect women’s sports. The measure reverses previous policies that allowed student-athletes to compete based on gender identity rather than biological sex. The administration maintains that this approach ensures fairness in women’s athletics, preventing individuals assigned male at birth from competing against female athletes.
However, the order has already sparked widespread controversy and legal challenges, with critics arguing that it discriminates against transgender individuals and lacks evidence that transgender athletes hold a dominant competitive edge. The debate over transgender participation in sports remains a polarizing national issue, with courts and policymakers expected to weigh in further.
