By
After effectively barring transgender girls and women from competing in women's sports in the U.S., the Trump administration is now seeking to negate the athletic achievements of trans student-athletes across the country.
In a statement addressing the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Federation of State High School Associations on Tuesday, the Education Department urged the organizations to strip trans girls and women of their records, titles, awards and recognitions.
The statement repeatedly misgenders trans female athletes and calls on the organizations to “restore to female athletes the records, titles, awards, and recognitions misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories.”
“The Trump Education Department will do everything in our power to right this wrong and champion the hard-earned accomplishments of past, current, and future female collegiate athletes,” it added.
The NCAA announced last Thursday that trans girls and women are barred from competing in women's NCAA sports, effective immediately, to comply with an executive order President Donald Trump signed a day earlier. NCAA President Charlie Baker has said that fewer than 10 of the 500,000 athletes under the organization are trans.
Trump has acted swiftly to severely restrict trans rights since returning to the White House. He has signed four executive orders targeting trans people so far, including the one last week that prohibits trans women from competing in women’s sports. That executive order — like so many others he has signed in recent weeks — is already facing at least one legal challenge.
His administration has framed the order as an effort to protect “fair athletic opportunities” for cisgender female athletes. On Wednesday, however, the Trump White House rescinded Biden-era guidance on payments for student-athletes’ name, image and likeness, saying they do not fall under Title IX rules and thus need not be equitable between male and female athletes.