New Policy by National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes Impacts Transgender Women in Women's Sports

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics made a decision on Monday to implement a new policy. This policy will prevent transgender women from taking part in the majority of its women's intercollegiate sports programs.

The NAIA is an athletic association made up of 241 member colleges and universities, mostly small in size. As of 2023, it oversees intercollegiate athletics for over 83,000 student-athletes, as stated on its website.

The organization's new policy states that only NAIA student-athletes who are biologically female can compete in NAIA-sponsored female sports. Biological sex is determined by distinguishing characteristics and can be verified by a birth certificate or signed affidavit.

However, scientists and advocates for the LGBTQ community believe that these definitions oversimplify the complexity of sex and gender. They emphasize that a person's gender identity should not be overshadowed by biology.

The new NAIA policy, effective August 1, only prohibits transgender women and girls from participating in women's teams. However, transgender men and boys can join women's teams without restrictions if they were assigned female at birth and have not started hormone therapy. If they have begun hormone treatment, they are still allowed to take part in internal activities like workouts and practices. The decision on whether they can compete at the collegiate level is left to individual schools.

Any NAIA school must notify the national office if they have a transgender male student-athlete who has started hormone replacement therapy. The organization has promised to take necessary measures to ensure privacy protection for these individuals.

Competitive cheerleading and dance are exceptions to the new rules, as the NAIA states that they are available to all students.

The announcement on Monday sparked immediate criticism from LGBTQ rights supporters. Athlete Ally, a group dedicated to eradicating transphobia and homophobia in sports, criticized the new policy as promoting exclusion and discrimination.

"This policy failure reflects poor leadership from NAIA and is a disappointing setback for women's sports," expressed Hudson Taylor, founder and Executive Director of Athlete Ally, in a statement provided to CNN.

FILE - Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, second from right, stands during a rally on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, outside of the NCAA Convention in San Antonio. Gaines was among more than a dozen college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Thursday, March 14, 2023, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing Lia Thomas to compete at national championships in 2022. (AP Photo/Darren Abate, File)

Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, participated in a rally on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, outside of the NCAA Convention in San Antonio. Gaines and over a dozen college athletes took legal action against the NCAA on Thursday, March 14, 2023. They claimed that the NCAA violated their Title IX rights by permitting Lia Thomas to compete in national championships in 2022. (AP Photo/Darren Abate, File)

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Chris Mosier, the first transgender man to compete for Team USA, believes that the decision regarding transgender women in NAIA sports is influenced by political pressure rather than any actual issues.

The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group, stated that making decisions based on misinformation from right-wing campaigns is not good policy; it is discrimination.

Transgender participation in sports has sparked controversy in the debate over LGBTQ rights. Some argue that banning trans athletes is needed to uphold Title IX, which guarantees equal opportunities for females in sports in federally funded education programs. On the other hand, critics argue that anti-trans policies are also denying girls and women their right to participate in sports.

Supporters of banning transgender women from women's sports claim that they have a physical advantage over cisgender women in sports.

Mainstream science does not agree with this idea. According to a 2017 report in the journal Sports Medicine, there is no clear evidence that transgender individuals have a competitive edge over their cisgender counterparts in sports. Critics argue that banning trans athletes only contributes to the discrimination they already experience.

The scientific community continues to debate whether hormones like testosterone can accurately determine athletic advantage.

In March, a group of current and former female athletes took legal action against the NCAA. They claimed that the association broke Title IX rules by letting transgender swimmer Lia Thomas compete for the University of Pennsylvania's women's swim team in NCAA events, as reported by CNN.

The NCAA, responsible for overseeing intercollegiate athletics at larger schools, mandates that transgender student-athletes undergo testosterone testing before joining competitive sports and at specific intervals afterward.

LGBTQ and civil rights supporters argue that the movement to prohibit trans women from participating in sports is just one aspect of a broader campaign. This campaign, often spearheaded by conservative politicians, aims to restrict transgender rights and opportunities for inclusion in the United States.

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley speaks to media during a press conference at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley speaks to media during a press conference at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports/Reuters

During a pregame news conference on Saturday, reporters questioned Dawn Staley, the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecock’s women’s basketball team, about her thoughts on trans women participating in college sports.

Staley expressed her belief that anyone who identifies as a woman should have the opportunity to play sports. She stated, "If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports, or vice versa, you should be able to play. That’s my opinion."

Staley expressed her frustration when asked about transgender women participating in college basketball. She firmly stated, "Yes, yes." Despite knowing that some may disagree, she is okay with facing criticism and distractions on such an important day for the game.

The Gamecocks would go on to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament, earning Staley her third NCAA championship in seven years.

Editor's P/S:

The NAIA's new policy, which prohibits transgender women from competing in most women's sports, has sparked a heated debate on the intersection of