Donald Trump said he wants to ban trans athletes from competing. The reality is more nuanced
Associated PressOne of President-elect Donald Trump ‘s most popular talking points during his campaign centered on the future of transgender athletes. Trump seemed to identify the discussion around the rights of transgender people in general and trans athletes in particular as one that could garner both attention and support that went beyond his usual base. Trump has said on Day 1 that he would cut federal funding to “any school pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children.” There are several layers to this, but the most immediate would be how his administration interprets Title IX, the law best known for its role in pursuing gender equity in athletics and preventing sexual harassment on campuses. The Biden administration chose to interpret sex as “gender identity” under Title IX, which could be interpreted to protect trans athletes from being discriminated against if they wanted to participate in a sport that aligned with their gender identity, not their sex assigned at birth. The NAIA voted unanimously earlier this year to effectively ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.