As part of its new transgender participation policy, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has prohibited all transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.
The NAIA, the governing body of 241 smaller colleges and universities, announced Monday that “only NAIA student-athletes whose biological sex is adult” and who have hardly begun hormone treatments will be allowed to engage in women’s sports. According to the policy, athletes who have begun hormone therapy will be allowed to participate in workouts, practices, and team activities “at the discretion” of the school at which the athlete is enrolled but not allowed in interscholastic competition.
The NAIA established separate categories for male and female participants, the policy states. “Each NAIA sport includes some combination of strength, speed, and stamina, providing competitive advantages for male student-athletes. In consequence, the NAIA policy applies to all sports, with the exception of competitive cheer and competitive dance, which are open to all students.
The policy goes into effect in August, to coincide with the start of the 2024 sports calendar.
The policy was enacted in a vote Monday at the NAIA’s national convention in Kansas City, Missouri.
Participation in transgender sports has become a divisive political issue that divides the nation. Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), issued a statement Monday criticizing the NAIA for its decision.
“The NAIA announced today that it would prohibit competition for an entire category of people simply because of a right-wing outrage campaign that purposefully misrepresents and denigrates transgender athletes without doing anything to support women’s sports,” Robinson said in the statement. “The benefits of sports to the mind, body, and spirit are well known. Every student, including transgender student-athletes, deserves the opportunity to be part of a team and to learn about sportsmanship, self-discipline, perseverance, and more.”
Dawn Staley, the coach of South Carolina who helped her team win the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament championship on Sunday, spoke out in favor of transgender women competing in women’s sports and said she supports allowing them to participate.
“The NAIA should listen to Hall of Famers like Coach Dawn Staley and do everything it can to expand access to athletics, including to correct the long-standing lack of resources and support for women’s athletics, instead of engaging in even more discrimination,” Robinson continued in the statement. “The chilling message that this sends must be stopped in its tracks, not just to other sanctioning bodies but also to youth sports leagues across the nation.
The NCAA updated its transgender athlete policy in January 2022 to reflect the United States and the International Olympic Committees, which are entirely independent organizations. Since 2010, the NCAA’s transgender policy calls for the submission of documentation of testosterone levels and one year of testosterone suppression therapy prior to championship competitions.
When asked if there are any changes to the NCAA’s policy, NCAA President Charlie Baker responded on Sunday that the current policy is “reasonably consistent” with those of governing boards across the nation and internationally. He claimed that the NCAA policy has been “adjusted several times and we’ll just continue to act on that based on available data and how we fit into the overall scheme of what’s going on with sports generally.”
According to a 2019 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1.8% of high school students identify as transgender. When combined with a 2017 HRC study that found only 14% of transgender boys and 12% of transgender girls participated in youth sports, data suggest that there aren’t many transgender athletes competing in college athletics.
This problem has resulted in legislation in dozens of states that seek to stop transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. A bill that forbids transgender girls and women from participating in school athletic programs for female athletes was passed by the Republican-majority House in April 2023.
The Movement Advancement Project found that 24 states have passed laws that prohibit transgender youth from competing in sports on teams that match their gender identity. Alaska also has rules for sports for trans youth.
Just Wednesday, Wisconsin Gov. A bill that would have prohibited transgender and gender nonconforming youth from playing on school athletic teams that reflect their gender identity was blocked by Tony Evers.
Contributing: USA TODAY Sports reporter Lindsay Schnell from Cleveland, Laura Schulte and Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY NETWORK
