The NCAA has ruled only women assigned female at birth can compete in college sports. We spoke to some of those affected by the ban

On 5 February 2025 – coinciding with Women and Girls in Sports Day – Donald Trump signed an executive order barring trans athletes from competing in women’s sports. The move marked yet another aggressive shift of his legislative agenda, as he doubled down on anti-trans rhetoric, in which he has vowed to eliminate what he calls “transgender insanity”.

The next day college sports’ main governing body, the NCAA, said only women assigned female at birth would be able to participate under its umbrella. The organization oversees more than 500,000 athletes. Last year the NCAA’s president, Charlie Baker, said he knew of only 10 transgender athletes competing in the organization.